Loveland, Ohio – Special events must provide additional accessible parking and restrooms based on the anticipated number of people who will attend. After our request, City Hall has provided Loveland Magazine with some information for persons with a disability who may need parking spots, accessible bathrooms, or shuttle service for the 4th of July event that will be held in Historic Downtown. Loveland Magazine has provided additional information.
• The accessible restrooms at the Loveland Bike Trail will be open at Nisbet Park.
• There will be accessible portable toilets placed along/near the Loveland Bike Trail in the Linda J. Cox Trailside Parking lot, near Browns Crossing, and near Harrison Avenue.
David Miller is the managing Editor of Loveland Magazine
by David Miller
Loveland, Ohio – Special events must provide additional accessible parking and restrooms based on the anticipated number of people who will attend. After our request, City Hall has provided Loveland Magazine with some information for persons with a disability who may need parking spots, accessible bathrooms, or shuttle service for the 4th of July event that will be held in Historic Downtown. Loveland Magazine has provided additional information.
• The accessible restrooms at the Loveland Bike Trail will be open at Nisbet Park.
• There will be accessible portable toilets placed along/near the Loveland Bike Trail in the Linda J. Cox Trailside Parking lot, near Browns Crossing, and near Harrison Avenue.
• There will also be added, temporary accessible parking spots along the Loveland Bike Trail near Nisbet Park.
• The shuttle service to the festival is not accessible for persons with a disability.
Here is the guide to the day’s activities
Railroad Avenue will be temporarily closed from 2 PM until 11 PM to through traffic on July 4th. There will also be a temporary road closure along the parade route from approximately 6:30 PM until 8:30 PM.
It proceeds north on Loveland-Madeira Road to West Loveland Avenue.
The parade ends at West Loveland Avenue and the State Route 48/Second Street intersection.
West Loveland Avenue will be closed from Riverside Drive to Karl Brown Way During the fireworks from approximately 10 PM until 10:30 PM.
Parking Restrictions
Some parking will be restricted due to parade and shuttle routes. Some parking spaces will be affected on the following streets:
West Loveland Avenue in Historic Downtown
Park Avenue
Riverside Drive
Third Street
Railroad Avenue
Harrison Avenue
Kiwanis Park, including the Matt Haverkamp Foundation Dog Park, will be closed to event parking. In addition, the dog park will close at noon on July 4.
Parking in Historic Downtown
The city operates more than 10 free public lots. View parking map.
Parking fees will be waived in the City Hall/Works lot on July 4.
Keep in mind there are also private lots throughout Historic Downtown and fees may be charged.
Right Click to Enlarge Map
Shuttle
There are FREE shuttle rides that will run continuously from 4 PM until 11 PM.
The shuttle is not accessible to persons with a handicap.
Park-and-ride shuttle locations will be at Loveland High School (1 Tiger Trail) and the Loveland Early Childhood Center (6740 Loveland-Miamiville Road). Drop-off locations will be at Riverside Drive (near Veterans’ Memorial) and Third Street (near Whistle Stop Clay Works).
A free concert by the band, Pandora Effect be at the Nisbet Park Amphitheater from 8 PM until 10 PM. The band played in the FanZone at GABP when the Atlanta Braves were in town for a sold-out game.
Lawn Games — 4 PM until 6:30 PM— Fountain Greene (Near Fleet Feet)
NEST Community Learning Center will host lawn games.
Yankee Doodle Dog Show — 4 PM— Nisbet Park
Meet at 3:45 PM at the Clock Tower in Downtown Loveland (near the Bike Trail crossing). Dogs will parade toward Nisbet Park at 4 PM. Three dogs will be selected as best-dressed winners and will receive a prize basket from Pet Wants.
Water Zone — 4 PM until 8 PM— City Hall Lawn
There will be a giant inflatable water slide and misting fans, plus a splash station for little ones.
Food Trucks — 4 PM until 10 PM
Food truck vendors will be available throughout the downtown area.
Bingo — 5 PM & 8:30 PM — City Hall
Take a break from the heat to play a few cards of bingo! An afternoon and evening session will be held. Prizes for game winners. Monetary donations will be accepted with all proceeds going toward the Ben Morrison Memorial Fund, which provides scholarships to Loveland High School seniors.
Kids’ Bike Contest —6:15 PM— Loveland Elementary School
Decorate your bike/scooter/tricycle for the holiday, and meet at Loveland Elementary School (600 Loveland-Madeira Road) to take part in this annual tradition. Children will gather and then take part in the parade at 7 PM. Trailside Provisions has donated prizes for the top 3 entries.
Pie Eating Contest — 8:30 PM — Little Miami Conservancy at Nisbet Park (Little Miami Scenic River and Trail Center)
There is an online signup to help gauge interest. Pre-register if you would like to participate.
March is National Developmental Disabilities Awareness Month
by David Miller
Last week I published an “Open Letter to City Hall”. Within hours of publishing A proposal for directional signs to accessible parking in Historic Downtown Loveland, I received a very encouraging response.
City Manager Dave Kennedy emailed saying, he spoke to Scott Wisby, the Public Works Director early the next morning. Kennedy said, “Public works is going to inventory all of our handicap parking signs in city parks and other public areas to make sure all of the signs are up to code and are not weathered/needing replacement. Any needing replacement or adjustment for code will be corrected. I think this is an important first step. I will keep you updated on the progress.”
The City Manager followed up shortly in another email saying that they will also be looking to better consolidate the reserved accessible spaces in the downtown area.
Although Kennedy did not address adding directional signs to the improved and perhaps consolidated spaces, the process he began was a very welcome one and a practicable first step.
March is National Developmental Disabilities Awareness Month
by David Miller
Dear City Hall,
I ask you to install directional signs in our Historic District that point to accessible parking spaces.
To honor National Developmental Disabilities Awareness Month I decided to revisit the draft of a proposal I worked on from 2014 until 2016. Most of the proposal was eventually approved by Loveland City Council and the Loveland Planning and Zoning Commission and is now adopted law in the City. I started the project in 2014 when resident, Amy Clawson raised concerns to me. Amy said that unfortunately, a very common problem for people who have different needs is in finding good, appropriate parking that can accommodate their physical or health issues. She pointed me to several instances of inadequate and poorly marked parking spaces in the Historic District. After taking an inventory around town, I published this story: Accessible parking; out of sight, out of mind, neglected and abused.
This nearly invisible accessible parking space was at McCoy Park in 2014. There should have been a pole-mounted sign and the paint on the pavement had all but disappeared.
Because most spaces in Loveland in 2016, whether on public or private parking lots were not in compliance with either Ohio or Federal law, the proposal was to mark all accessible parking spaces in the City in a consistent manner and for City Hall to choose a deliberate pathway to bring them all into lawful compliance.
This was the neglected condition of the accessible parking sign near the restroom at Nisbet Park in 2014.
It’s intuition that leads you to rather easily locate the accessible parking spaces at Kroger or shopping centers, however, since most businesses in Historic Downtown do not provide their own parking, directional signs as well as signage at the parking spots themselves are needed.
At the time I started my research, accessible parking was out of sight, out of mind, neglected, and abused. During special events, they are still mostly out of sight and mind.
I received the full support and helpful suggestions from both City Manager Dave Kennedy and City Engineer Cindy Cindy Klopfenstein as I crafted and illustrated the plan. Kennedy from his end ensured that the planning commission and city council gave careful thought to the plan and secured their approvals.
When built, the Trails at East Loveland was the first new development to fully comply with the new requirements for accessible parking spaces.
The plan as adopted requires that all new parking spaces from new development must tell the Planning and Zoning Commission how they intend to comply with the new requirements. Any repaving, recoating, or new stripping of existing parking lots must now also use the guidelines.
Also adopted at the time was a policy requirement that all applications, whether from private groups or City Hall who filled out an application for special events describe on the application how they will provide the number of accessible parking spaces based on their anticipated attendance.
The Accessible Parking Sign used by the State of New York
The original plan I proposed was to use a new universal design that at the time was being adopted around the country, but through research of Ohio Department of Transportation law, I discovered that although they were considering the new design they had not yet made it their design of choice. The newer “fluid movement” design is meant to accentuate a more positive image of accessible needs rather than an expression of one using the parking spot as being “handicapped”.
Also, one idea I had in 2016 was to have directional signs placed throughout our Downtown Historic District pointing to where a person could find accessible parking, without driving around looking for them.
Thus, in light of it being National Disabilities Awareness Month I have revisited my earlier proposal and now suggest “wayfinding” directional signs in the Historic District so people can find the hidden gems closest to where they want to go.
I propose permanently mounted signs as well as portable ones that would be brought out for special events such as Christmas in Loveland, parades, and the Independence Day event.
The Direction Sign I propose for Historic Downtown Loveland would tell visitors and shoppers where to find an accessible parking space and that the Sweetheart City of Loveland, Ohio is a welcoming community.
Thank you for considering my suggestion.
Best regards,
David Miller
The Accessible Parking Space Guide Approved in 2016
Loveland, Ohio – Special events must provide additional accessible parking and restrooms based on the anticipated number of people who will attend. After our request, City Hall has provided Loveland Magazine with some information for persons with a disability who may need parking spots, accessible bathrooms, or shuttle service for the 4th of July event that will be held in Historic Downtown. Loveland Magazine has provided additional information.
• The accessible restrooms at the Loveland Bike Trail will be open at 
