Troy Parks Inline for Improvements
Vol. IV, No. 9 - Two Grant-Funded Projects Move Forward to Improve City's Park System
Troy City Council’s Recreation and Parks Committee moved two park improvement projects forward this week, recommending full council approval of grant agreements that would bring nearly $632,000 in state funding to Duke Park and Herrlinger Park — with no cost to Troy taxpayers from the city’s general fund.
Both projects reflect something worth paying attention to: the city is making strategic, layered investments in its parks, and it’s doing it largely on someone else’s dime.
Herrlinger Park: The South Side Investment Continues
If you’ve been to Herrlinger Park recently, you’ve already seen the change. Over the past couple of years, the city has replaced outdated playground equipment, installed a fence around the play area, resurfaced the basketball court, and added a pickleball court — all funded through Community Development Block Grant and American Rescue Plan Act dollars.
Now the next phase is in motion.
The City of Troy is seeking up to $150,000 through the Ohio Department of Natural Resources NatureWorks grant program to construct an 8-foot-wide walking trail within the park. The trail would connect Herrlinger’s parking areas and recreational amenities, improve accessibility, and provide a more connected experience for visitors. The NatureWorks program covers up to 75 percent of eligible costs, with the city responsible for a 25 percent local match — a cost already built into the park’s existing budget. If approved, grant recipients would be notified in November 2026 and funds expended in 2027.
But the walking trail is just one piece of a larger picture at Herrlinger. The park is set to grow. The city purchased the adjoining property to the west across Crawford Street, the existing building on that property is slated for demolition, and Crawford Street itself will be vacated to allow for park expansion. Future plans also include improved parking facilities and potential street improvements along Herrlinger Way. For a neighborhood park on Troy’s south side, this represents a long-range commitment that goes well beyond swings and pickleball lines.
Duke Park’s TMBA Area: Turning a Maintenance Challenge Into an Asset
The second project involves the Troy Mountain Bike Area — commonly known as the TMBA — located within Duke Park along the Great Miami River corridor. The TMBA has already been through its own quiet transformation. Invasive species have been removed over the past few years, new trees have been planted, and the trail system has remained a popular destination for the mountain bike community across the Miami Valley.
Now, a $482,000 grant through the ODNR H2Ohio Rivers Initiative would fund the creation of a wetland area within the TMBA section of Duke Park. The project was facilitated by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and would convert an area that currently requires active maintenance into a functioning wetland ecosystem.
The benefits are meaningful and specific: reduced maintenance demands on the Park Department and TMBA volunteers, new fishing opportunities, and habitat that supports migratory bird stopovers. Critically, the project will not touch the mountain bike and hiking trails or the recently planted trees.
The grant will also fund repaving of the Duke Park entrance drive from Troy-Sidney Road to just past the new Park Maintenance building — a practical infrastructure improvement that comes along for the ride.
Approximately $64,000 of the $482,000 is earmarked for design services, with the remainder going to construction, much of which is anticipated to take place this year. Because this project was not included in the city’s 2026 budget, a budget reappropriation will be required before a construction contract can be issued. The Board of Park Commissioners approved the recommendation on May 11, and the Recreation and Parks Committee followed on Monday.
The Bigger Picture
Taken together, these two projects aren’t isolated line items — they’re part of a deliberate effort to upgrade Troy’s park infrastructure using outside funding, environmental programming, and long-range planning. Herrlinger is being built into a full-service neighborhood park. The TMBA is being transformed from a trail system into a multi-use natural asset that benefits recreation and the river ecosystem simultaneously.
Troy residents should know that these investments are happening, that they’re being done efficiently, and that there’s more to come. The parks committee did its job Monday. Now it goes to the full council this coming Monday for approval.
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