Park History

Clear Creek Park resides on 101.7 acres. The park was initially purchased as 2 individual tracts of land: The Ragland tract and the Burger Tract. The Ragland Tract was purchased by the Anderson Township Trustees on January 24, 1992. The Burger tract was jointly purchased in April of 1993 by the Anderson Township Trustees and the Anderson Park District. The Trustees deeded this property to the APD in late 1993. The Bicentennial Celebration in 1993 provided the initiative for the acquisition and development of additional park land for Anderson Township.

Clear Creek Park opened in the late summer of 1996 as the first phase of a continuing building program. In 2000, the APD acquired an additional 35 acres of adjacent property which contains a nationally registered pre-historic site. The addition of the 35 acres makes Clear Creek Park the 101.7 acres it is today, the second largest park in the Anderson Park District.

Currently, this park has capabilities for up to 23 irrigated soccer athletic fields of varying sizes; available for use by permit only. The Anderson Township Bicentennial Commission raised funds for part of the development. Additional improvements will be added to Clear Creek as funds become available.

Ohio Department of Transportation Mandates Turn Lanes

Following the Park’s construction, the Ohio Department of Transportation (ODOT) mandated that turn lanes be added to the entrance/exit of Clear Creek Park in order for the park to continue to function. The turn lanes were initially to be funded through the 1997 additional levy for capital improvements.

When the levy did not pass, the APD regarded the status of the turn lanes a top priority and, therefore, sold bonds to generate the revenue to finance the project. Had the APD not taken such action, ODOT could have closed Clear Creek Park regardless of the number of fields being used at any given time. The bonds will be paid back over 15 years. The turn lane project was completed in November of 1998.

An Award Winning Park District of which to be proud!

The APD was awarded the prestigious “Management Innovation / Special Project Award” by the Ohio Parks and Recreation Association (OPRA) for “The Oasis” project. The project was chosen based on outstanding management creativity, interagency cooperation, and cost effectiveness.

In June of 1997, the APD and 130 teens from The Tri-State area youth of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints (LDS), cooperated to raise ‘The Oasis’, an elevated, arbored framework housing concession and restroom facilities, a shelter and walkways. The teens selected this project from a number of other possibilities during their Annual Youth Conference.

Clear Creek Park, formerly a sod farm, is located in the flood plain of the Little Miami River Valley on SR 32. Budget and construction obstacles were the concerns for the APD as building such amenities within a flood plain requires immense creativity to avoid the repeated expense of cleaning and repairing permanent restroom and concession facilities following annual floods. The solution was to place portable trailers within an arbored framework, giving them a facade of permanence while allowing for quick removal with minimal warning time of rising waters. The cost effectiveness of the innovative design coupled with the assistance of the LDS youth made the project unique. The Oasis stands as the focal point of Clear Creek Park for everyone to enjoy while serving as a permanent legacy of community involvement. The benefit to the community, as well as to the people who helped build it, will last for many generation to come.

The APD’s “Oasis Project” was selected from eleven Parks and Recreation projects from around the state of Ohio including the Hamilton County Park District, the City of Columbus, the City of Toledo, and the City of Cincinnati.

Ohio River to Lake Erie Trail

The 2,250 foot link of the Ohio River to Lake Erie Trail was made possible by a matching grant from the Ohio Department of Natural Resources.