Indian Hill Village Council met in two separate work sessions (June 23 & 24, 2003) to discuss the future use of the 304 acre Camp Dennison property acquired in 2002 from Martin-Marietta. Council determined that it was in the best interests of the Village to retain ownership of the property and to develop the unique site into a low impact recreational facility. Council previously authorized the City Manager to seek proposals from qualified professional consultants to assist the Village in the completion of feasibility studies and a master plan for the property.

Council adopted a mission statement to guide the future use and development of the property. The statement reads as follows:

• Develop a master plan for the property that will insure the highest level of benefits to a broad range of users while restoring the site to a pristine natural area.

• Protect unique and important wildlife species through meaningful use restrictions and responsible site design criteria.

• Provide for the construction of necessary recreation facilities and other low impact uses which comply with the mission statement.

• Employ very strict standards for effluent discharge to insure the maintenance of a high quality water system.

• Retain ownership of the property and provide for the continued operation of the facilities and uses to insure that the property remains a beneficial asset to the Indian Hill and Camp Dennison communities.

The master planning process will seek to incorporate many of the uses which were the subject of resident and interest group presentations to Council over the last six months. In as much as the Village would like to accommodate all of the ideas which were presented, several proposals have been eliminated from further consideration because they were either not compatible with Council’s mission statement for the future use of the property or the proposal represented a conflict with another, more compatible proposal. Included in the proposals eliminated from further consideration were concepts for a 1,650 meter rowing facility, the Horizon Community Church and a proposal for the creation of a Hamilton County Park at the site.

The Village will move forward with a feasibility study to determine whether a proposal for locating the Indian Hill Winter Sports Club is consistent with the mission statement and permissible under applicable Ohio Department of Natural Resources regulations for the Little Miami River corridor. An additional study will determine whether a mountain biking proposal is feasible for the site, or whether biking should be limited to improved trails which either circumnavigate the site or provide access to recreational and natural features.

It is Village Council’s intention to incorporate many of the suggestions made by the Green Areas Advisory Committee in the future plans, including an emphasis on fostering the continued accommodation of a wide range of migratory birds and waterfowl. The planning process will also examine recreation and community facility needs to determine if the site can accommodate such facilities in a manner which is consistent with the mission statement. Council especially identified the inclusion of hand powered boating and light day sailing as important recreational activities which could be accommodated in the main site lakes and a feasibility study will be completed to determine the pros and cons of connecting the all four main lakes at one water level.

Village officials are finalizing the Request for Proposals (RFP) which will be advertised and distributed to professional design firms in July. It is anticipated that the feasibility studies and master planning process will be completed by the end of 2003 and plan implementation can begin in 2004.