Northside Greenspace finishes footbridge near Parker Woods Montessori School

CINCINNATI (FOX19) - A new upgrade to a trail in a Cincinnati neighborhood will help hikers enjoying nature and kids walking to school get around easier.

The new footbridge in Parkers Woods Nature Preserve is the latest project from Northside Greenspace. Soon there will be tons of kids using the footbridge to get to school.

Just a few steps away from Parker Woods Montessori School, Parkers Woods Nature Preserve is a hidden gem of the Cincinnati Parks District.

“The hope is that by having more well built trails with features like these bridges, Northside residents will continue to use these trails and not only get out and be able to enjoy the forest but get out and enjoy a strong, healthy native forest,” Northside Greenspace Board Member Sam Settlemyre told FOX19 NOW Tuesday.

Northside Greenspace improves accessibility and restores trails and forests in the Northside neighborhood.

They say the old steps were unsafe and didn’t function properly during a heavy rain.

“We’ve been working with the school to try to get kids in the forest more and more throughout the years,” Settlemyre continued. “And this has been something that has become an increasing priority for CPS.”

Asked if it was his dream to see kids use the footbridge, Settlemyre answered:

“Yeah, that is absolutely our dream. We really want as much as possible to empower the teachers to feel comfortable out here in this space and get as many kids outdoors as possible. It’s one thing to learn in a classroom, but to be able to come out in a beautiful, healthy, vibrant space like this is really what we want to see at the end of the day.”

The bridge was funded through Northside Greenspace, Civic Garden Center of Greater Cincinnati, Parker Woods Montessori PTO and grants from the Northside Community Council and Community Fund.

Cincinnati Parks provided the materials and Groundwork Ohio River Valley constructed the bridge.

If you’re interested in joining Northside Greenspace they’re always welcoming new members. Click here to learn more.

Copyright 2020 WXIX. All rights reserved.