8-29-2020 8:10pm

Springboro's Bark Park Named After Logan Turner

Rick Amburgey Neighbor

Photo Credit: Dawn Roskovich

If you talk to anyone who knew Springboro resident Logan Turner, they will tell you how he was a great friend and impacted their lives with his kindness. They will probably also give you a big hug, which was something for which Turner was known among his friends. The hashtag #loganhugs was started shortly after Turner's tragic death in Dayton's mass shooting in the Oregon District last year.

Today was a reminder that his legacy of kindness is continuing to live on in Springboro. The dog park in Hazel Woods Park, located at 3789 W. Lower Springboro Road, was renamed Logan's Bark Park this morning in Turner's honor.

The idea to name the park after Turner actually came from Geri Day's second grade class at Five Points Elementary School. Maureen Russell-Hodgson, community relations director for the City of Springboro, said Day and her sons were friends with the Turner family. "Logan was very close to her. She took it upon herself to talk to her students," Russell-Hodgson said.

Day's students wrote letters to Mayor John Agenbroad to see if the dog park could be named after Logan, who loved dogs. The students also wrote a book called Logan's Bark Park. "Our council, of course, discussed it and was very pleased to be a part of it. The children suggested the name Logan's Bark Park," Russell-Hodgson said.

One person who attended this morning's dedication was Dawn Roskovich, co-owner of The Barrel in Springboro. She and Turner worked together years ago and were good friends. "I miss Logan’s big smile and his big huge hugs," she said, adding that she misses his laugh as well.

Roskovich said she thinks about Tuner every day and she knows he's very proud of the things she does for the community. "Logan let me know how proud he was of me for taking the leap and buying a bar that we both love so much," she said.

Brian Morris, who serves as a Franklin Township Trustee, said Turner was one of those people who could go from being a stranger to a friend in a matter of minutes. Morris said he was lucky enough to be friends with Turner for a few years. "...I know the only reason he was taken from us is because he was only meant to be here for a short time and make an impact on our lives. Logan was needed by many of us in life as a friend and now we all have him not only as an example as to how we should treat people, but as a reminder as to how precious life is," he said.