Fairfield joins as the 23-member regional partnership's newest addition, extending the riverfront-to-riverfront network's southern reach deeper into Butler County
August 25, 2026 — The Great Miami Riverway Coalition, a regional partnership dedicated to driving tourism, economic development, and riverfront investment along the Great Miami River corridor, today announced that the City of Fairfield has officially joined the Coalition. The addition brings the Coalition to 23 member communities and organizations spanning the length of the Great Miami River corridor.
Fairfield's addition strengthens the Riverway's presence throughout Butler County, bringing one of the region's most visited riverfront destinations — home to the internationally known Jungle Jim's International Market — into the coalition that has driven more than $1 billion in annual regional tourism impact.
"Rather than working independently, communities can build a shared identity and coordinated strategy to attract investment and visitors," said Chris Fine, Chair of the Great Miami Riverway Coalition. "Fairfield is one of the most dynamic riverfront communities in southwest Ohio, and having them fully engaged in the Coalition strengthens our ability to tell one connected story — stretching more than 130 miles, all the way to the doorstep of Cincinnati."
Fine, a Troy native with a background in urban planning from the University of Cincinnati, serves as City Manager of Miamisburg, where he led riverfront revitalization efforts, and has served as chair of the Riverway Coalition since 2025.
Fairfield Joins the Coalition for the First Time
Fairfield's entry into the Great Miami Riverway Coalition marks a milestone for the trail network's southern reach. The city sits at the planned southern terminus of the Great Miami River Recreation Trail (GMRRT), the 102-plus-mile paved trail connecting Piqua in the north to Fairfield and Hamilton in the south — part of the largest connected paved trail network in the nation.
MetroParks of Butler County is actively closing the remaining trail gaps in Fairfield, Liberty, and Lemon townships, thanks to funding from the Butler County Commissioners, with construction expected between 2026 and 2028, and the City of Fairfield has secured grant funding to extend the GMRRT to Marsh Park. Fairfield has additional plans to connect the GMRRT to its Town Center with a trail along River Road.
"Fairfield has invested years of planning and significant dollars into connecting our riverfront parks and trail system to the rest of the region, and formalizing our partnership with the Great Miami Riverway is the natural next step," said Adam Sackenheim, Assistant City Manager, City of Fairfield.
Fairfield by the Numbers: What Visitors Will Discover
What It Means to Be a Great Miami Riverway Coalition Member
Since its founding in 2017 — building on a decade of planning that began with the 2008 Great Miami River Summit at the University of Dayton and a landmark 2014 U.S. Army Corps of Engineer's river corridor asset study — the Great Miami Riverway Coalition has grown into a partnership of cities, counties, park districts, and regional agencies working together along more than 99 miles of the Great Miami River corridor.
Coalition members include the cities of Fairfield, Franklin, Hamilton, Miamisburg, Middletown, Monroe, Moraine, Piqua, Tipp City, Trenton, Troy, Sidney, and West Carrollton; Five Rivers MetroParks; Great Parks of Hamilton County; MetroParks of Butler County; the Miami Conservancy District; Miami County Commissioners; the Miami County Visitors and Convention Bureau; Miami County Park District; the Miami Valley Regional Planning Commission; Montgomery County Commissioners; and the Sidney/Shelby County Visitors Bureau.
Coalition membership provides participating communities with:
City and county membership dues are based on population; corporate memberships and sponsorships are also critical to the Coalition.
A Track Record of Regional Economic Impact
The Riverway's growth is backed by data. According to the recently released economic impact study, conducted by Tourism Economics, an Oxford Economics company:
With Fairfield now fully engaged, the Coalition's footprint extends deeper into Butler County, connecting one of the region's most-visited destinations to a growing network that already spans six counties and roughly 130 miles of the Great Miami River.
"Regional collaboration through the Riverway has already produced measurable economic impact for the communities that have stayed engaged," Fine said. "We're looking forward to what Fairfield will bring to the partnership."
A Century of Flood Protection Makes This Growth Possible
None of the riverfront investments described above would be possible without the flood protection system that has quietly done its job for more than 100 years. Southwest Ohio suffered one of the deadliest disasters in Ohio history when the Great Flood of 1913 killed almost 400 people and caused over $100 million in damage — nearly $3.4 billion in today's dollars — across the riverfront cities and the surrounding Miami Valley.
Completed in 1922, the system has held back floodwaters more than 2,000 times without flood damage in protected areas. This century of reliable protection has given communities the confidence to invest in riverfront parks, trails, businesses and gathering spaces—turning the river into one of the region’s greatest economic and recreational assets.
That infrastructure has never failed. Since its completion in 1922, the system has held back floodwaters more than 2,000 times, and flood damage in protected areas has totaled zero dollars.
More on Fairfield: https://greatmiamiriverway.com/blog/fairfield-ohio
About the Great Miami Riverway
The Great Miami Riverway, a program of the Miami Conservancy District, is convened in collaboration with local communities to support and encourage people to live, work, and play safely along the Great Miami River. Stretching across Southwest Ohio, the Riverway connects vibrant city waterfronts through the nation's largest connected paved trail network and Ohio's first National Water Trail. The Great Miami Riverway Coalition works to increase use of the region's recreational, historical, and cultural assets; attract visitors, customers, jobs, and talent; and strengthen river corridor communities throughout southwest Ohio. Learn more at greatmiamiriverway.com.
