New pavilion opens at Hueston Woods
More than 40 people attended the ribbon-cutting ceremony, celebrating the work local volunteers put into the project.
The new pavilion at Hueston Woods held its ribbon-cutting ceremony on June 8 at 2 p.m. More than 40 people attended the event, which featured giveaways, refreshments and guided tours of the green level mountain bike trails.
The shelter, named Hedgerow Pavilion, features a community gathering space with picnic tables and tool storage. It is located by Hedgerow Road at the picnic area, near the mountain bike and hiking trails, sled riding hill and bird blind.
A plaque at the pavilion lists everyone who made its construction possible, including volunteers, donors and Hueston Woods staff. The Oxford Community Foundation and Dave Eifert, a Miami University alumnus, were the main donors for the project, which cost $20,000. Ron Overly was the lead engineer, and Helaine Alessio came up with the idea for the project.
Alessio, a professor at Miami, has been taking her class to Hueston Woods for the last 15 years to help maintain and create biking and hiking trails for the public. Alessio said the class has contributed to roughly half of the trails.
“If it was a little bit rainy, or there was wind or whatever, there was no place to get shelter … and then talk about the plan, or after the class, gather again and talk about what we accomplished that day,” Alessio said.
She also thought that bikers, hikers, birders and other community members would benefit from a gathering place.
While on a bike ride with Ron Overly, a Miami alum, Alessio remembered that he studied architecture and created his own construction company after working for an architecture firm. She proposed the idea, and Overly agreed to help design and build the pavilion.
Alessio plans to host her future classes at Hedgerow Pavilion. In the meantime, it will be a public gathering space for the community and events.
While at the ceremony, Alessio said she kept thinking about how this project started with “the conversation, the bike ride and someone with the skills and the talent willing to help get it started and see [it] through today,” she said. Alessio said she is very thankful for Overly, Park Director Kathryn Conner, the volunteers and donors who all made it possible.
“It all came together,” Alessio said, “and the pavilion is absolutely beautiful.”
