Five parcels at Bechtold Park must remain public parkland until at least October 2041 under a resolution Sycamore Township trustees approved Tuesday, Sept. 1.

The Board of Trustees voted 3-0 to pass Resolution 2026-066, authorizing a Notice of Tax-Exempt Bond Funding Ownership to be recorded with the Hamilton County Recorder. The bond notice is a condition of a state capital improvement grant the township received from the Ohio Department of Natural Resources (ODNR) for the Veterans Memorial at Bechtold Park, 4312 Sycamore Road.

Chairman Tom Weidman, Vice Chairman Tracy Kellums and Trustee Tracy Schwegmann each voted aye. The board waived the second reading and passed the resolution on its first reading.

Under the ODNR grant agreement, the five covered parcels cannot be sold, repurposed or converted from public park, recreation or conservation use without written approval from both the Director of Natural Resources and the Ohio Public Facilities Commission. That restriction runs until Oct. 1, 2041, when the bond notice expires.

The grant was awarded under Agreement No. HAMI-093C, funded through the 135th General Assembly. The total dollar amount has not been disclosed in available public records. Township Administrator Greg Bickford is responsible for executing and recording the notice.

ODNR has a fallback. If the township defaults on the agreement, the state agency retains the right to use and occupy the property.

The Veterans Memorial at Bechtold Park broke ground in October 2025. The township's Community Improvement Corporation had earmarked $260,000 for Bechtold Park improvements as of December 2025, according to CIC meeting minutes. The memorial was dedicated on Memorial Day, May 25, 2026, with a ribbon-cutting ceremony.

Schwegmann wrote in the Summer 2026 Sycamore Quarterly, published May 31, that she encourages residents to visit the memorial, calling it the result of "the exceptional efforts of the Sycamore Township Veterans Memorial Commission."

A copy of Grant Agreement HAMI-093C is available at the Township Administration Building, 8540 Kenwood Road. The next Board of Trustees meeting is Sept. 15 at 6 p.m. at the same location.