Paving the way: Oxford Area Trails connect the community

Oxford boasts many well-known features: brick streets, bagel sandwiches steamed to perfection, higher education opportunities and much more. Oxford Area Trails (OATS), the city’s winding and intricately paved trail system that connects people, nature and recreation, looks to be the next line on the list.

While the trail is still an ongoing project, some of the most recent developments have worked towards connecting the community with its schools. This past August, the trail’s Peffer Park section finished construction and now connects to Talawanda High School, taking some of the pressure off students who have been affected by the recent change in busing for the high school.

Jessica Greene, Oxford’s assistant city manager, said connecting the trails to Oxford’s neighborhoods has been a huge accomplishment and goal of the project.

“Getting these neighborhoods connected to parks and schools for both transportation and recreation and fitness is important to me,” Greene said.

As the city looks to continue work on the trails into the future, challenges still remain. From route planning to grant writing and community discussions, the process requires many steps. One of the future plans includes connecting each end of the trail to make a complete loop. To do this, the path needs to weave through the neighborhood-dominated northwest corner of the city.

Ann-Eliza Lewis, an Oxford resident of 12 years, said interactions with the community need to be a part of the process.

“I think it has to be a thoughtful process,” Lewis said. “Having conversations with people so that they understand what kind of protections and privacy will be put in place.”

Photo by Ellen Long | The Miami Student
The new Oxford trails, filled with bright greenery, boast interactive maps for visitors.

The project’s progression will depend heavily on community discussions, especially concerning neighborhoods that could be affected by the expanding trail system. Greene highlighted the importance of citizen input during the process, explaining that residents will have chances to voice opinions about future plans.

“We'll have some public meetings again to say, ‘OK, we've heard you. We have all your public comments from a few years ago,’” Greene said. “At city council, the public will have another opportunity to go up and say, ‘I love this, I hate this,’ etc.”

As of September 2024, around six miles of trails have been set and paved, with 12 miles planned before the completion of the project. Stretching through parks, wooded areas and publicly owned land, the paved trails offer a great opportunity for users to get outside and enjoy nature in a safe and accessible way.

Nancy Feakes, the field manager of natural areas at Miami, said students who use the trails often do so when they need a space to decompress or just connect with nature.

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“For many students, utilization of the trail can be a real asset to their time here at Miami, especially because of the physical health and mental health, a chance to connect with nature,” Feakes said. “We’ve got benches on some of them; on others, you can just sit on a log if you need to quiet down.”

The paved paths also offer opportunities for interests of all kinds. Feakes said she enjoys seeing people who maybe wouldn’t get outside much now doing so because of the trails.

“We have several students that are not the outdoorsy type, that will still use these trails,” Feakes said. “We also have people that are bikers or even roller skaters that can now use these trails, that never use the others. So people are much more confident.”

skolnyjc@miamioh.edu