By Jennifer Edwards
The Cincinnati Enquirer

TERRACE PARK - Plans will be firmed up this summer for a bike/hike path through this eastern Hamilton County village that eventually could link downtown Cincinnati to downtown Cleveland.

When state planners announced the project last summer, it was met with some controversy in this community of 2,273. So the Village Council formed a bike trail committee, and about 100 residents have submitted suggestions.

State planners hope to reach a compromise with the village and will return to town later this summer to discuss the project before starting construction.

"We are moving ahead with the plans and fully intend to begin construction sometime in the next couple of years," said Scott Zody, deputy director of recreation and resource management at the Ohio Department of Natural Resources in Columbus.

"A lot of that is going to depend on funding and what kind of issues we hear from the residents and how we can incorporate them ,and how much of an adjustment of the plans we need to initiate before we begin construction."

Some residents in this small suburb known for its quiet streets and grand trees feared the 2.5-mile portion of the trail would destroy their private oasis.

Residents now are more resigned to the trail coming in, says Councilman Jeff Koreman, who chairs the bike trail committee.

"There are very few people who are worried about this increasing any sort of crime," he said. "They are just more concerned about how does it change Terrace Park."

Cost estimates for the trail range from $700,000 to $2 million, Zody said.

E-mail jedwards@enquirer.com.