July 23, 2014 at 2:10 p.m.
Officials still optimistic on park project (04/05/06)
Portland Park Board
By By RACHELLE HAUGHN-
A local board is hoping community members and the federal government will step up to the plate and help Hudson Family Park go the distance.
Approximately $3 million is needed to completely develop the park, located south across the Salamonie River from Weiler-Wilson Park in Portland.
“This has always been a very generous community,” Portland Park Board president Neil Medler said following Tuesday’s board meeting. “I know there’s a lot of interested people ready to hop on and help” fund the park project.
Medler also is hoping that federal funds will be earmarked for the project.
Although the city has paid for phase one of the project through economic development income tax and cumulative capital development funds, and has been awarded a $560,000 Transportation Enhancement grant to fund part of phase two, an estimated $2.8 million is still needed for phases two and three.
But Medler said he isn’t worried. He believes that, one way or another, the project will be funded.
“That was one reason to establish a non-reverting park improvement fund,” Medler said. If the board votes to establish such a fund, it would allow local residents to contribute to this and other park projects. Those who donate funds could choose how they want the money to be spent.
The land for the more than 30-acre park was donated to the city in September of 2000 by the family of local banker Barry Hudson. When the land located southeast of Weiler-Wilson Park was donated, Hudson said the park must include an amphitheater, a pond and be maintained as a park, said board secretary Sharon Bubp.
Hudson set a 10-year deadline for the amphitheater and pond to be completed. If his requirements have not been met by 2010, the land will be given to Arts Place, he told the board in May of last year.
Medler said some fund-raising events may also be held. None are in the works right now, he said.
“(Fund-raising is) always under consideration,” Medler said.
Another option for funding phases two and three is to have federal funds earmarked for the project.
Bruce Hosier, mayor of Portland, and Phil Metzger, manager of business development for The Schneider Corporation of Indianapolis, were in Washington D.C. March 7-9 to lobby for that funding. Schneider is doing the engineering work for the park project.
They met with advisors for U.S. Representative Mike Pence (R-6th District) and spoke with U.S. Senator Richard Lugar (R-Indiana). They discussed the final plans for the project and asked that Pence and Lugar take the request for funding to appropriations committees.
“We were very pleased with the response and reception we received,” Hosier said after Tuesday’s park board meeting. “I feel very confident that both of their offices will work very hard” to get funds for the project. “I’m very optimistic and very hopeful.”
Hosier said city officials should know if funds were earmarked for the project by the fall. If the city is awarded funds, the money should be available for use by early 2007, he said.
Phase two includes walking paths and trails through the park. Those projects will be funded by a TE grant, which is administered by the Indiana Department of Transportation. Also included in phase two is the construction of a large pond and roads through the park. The city has already committed $264,670 in EDIT funds for this phase, yet more funds are needed to complete the project. Phase two has been estimated to cost $1.67 million.
None of the phase two projects, or any in phase three, have yet been bid out. Medler said once the projects are bid, the board will have a more accurate figure for the total cost of the park project.
Phase three, which is expected to be the most costly of the three phases, includes the construction of shelters, parking, the amphitheater, the bridge over the pond, playgrounds and recreational fields. Hosier said this morning the estimate of phase three is $1.97 million.
Work on phase one, which is the park entrance, has already begun. Schneider officials announced in February that engineering work for phase two also had been set in motion. This work is being funded through part of the TE grant and some of the park department’s budget.
The board spent the first five years after receiving the land on planning and trying to find sources of funding. In late 2004, before receiving the nudge from Hudson and after being rejected several times for grants, park board members decided they were tired of concentrating on funding sources and were ready to move the project forward.
The long-delayed dream finally began to take shape.
A citizens advisory committee was formed to generate ideas for the park and funding sources. The board then voted to hire Schneider to design the park, and sought bids to do the construction work on phase one.
Looking back on the progress the project has made in the last two years, Medler is very pleased.
“I think we’ve done more recently than I remember” in my many years on the board, he said.
Hosier agrees.
“I think now we’re on the right path,” he said.[[In-content Ad]]The path to applying for federal and state funding for future improvements to Portland’s parks has been paved.
Neil Medler, president of the Portland Park Board, announced Tuesday night that the Indiana Department of Natural Resources has approved the five-year master plan for the city’s park system. Having an updated plan could increase the city’s chances of getting federal and state funding.
An updated plan was needed because the park system’s master plan has expired. The new plan, which includes the city’s vision for parks in the next five years, planned improvements and expected maintenance, will be good through 2010.
Officials with The Schneider Corporation of Indianapolis created the five-year master plan at a cost of $8,000.
Also Tuesday, the board approved changes in the hours of operation at the Portland Pool. The changes were made at the suggestion of pool manager Jennifer Snow.
This summer the hours of operation will be Monday through Friday from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Evening swimming will only be available on Sundays from 7 to 9 p.m.
Adult swimming sessions will be offered on Saturday mornings, rather than weekdays, to allow more people to come.
The pool will open for the season on May 27.
In other business, street and park department superintendent Jeff Harker announced that the new playground equipment for Memorial Park is being installed this week.
The park, located on South Western Avenue near Blaine Pike, is receiving a new slide unit, along with two swing sets, two park benches and one bench swing.
The equipment was purchased from GameTime of Holland, Mich., at a cost of $49,980.
Dan Shaw of Fort Wayne, who is installing the equipment, said Tuesday afternoon that the installation should be complete by Saturday or Sunday.
Approximately $3 million is needed to completely develop the park, located south across the Salamonie River from Weiler-Wilson Park in Portland.
“This has always been a very generous community,” Portland Park Board president Neil Medler said following Tuesday’s board meeting. “I know there’s a lot of interested people ready to hop on and help” fund the park project.
Medler also is hoping that federal funds will be earmarked for the project.
Although the city has paid for phase one of the project through economic development income tax and cumulative capital development funds, and has been awarded a $560,000 Transportation Enhancement grant to fund part of phase two, an estimated $2.8 million is still needed for phases two and three.
But Medler said he isn’t worried. He believes that, one way or another, the project will be funded.
“That was one reason to establish a non-reverting park improvement fund,” Medler said. If the board votes to establish such a fund, it would allow local residents to contribute to this and other park projects. Those who donate funds could choose how they want the money to be spent.
The land for the more than 30-acre park was donated to the city in September of 2000 by the family of local banker Barry Hudson. When the land located southeast of Weiler-Wilson Park was donated, Hudson said the park must include an amphitheater, a pond and be maintained as a park, said board secretary Sharon Bubp.
Hudson set a 10-year deadline for the amphitheater and pond to be completed. If his requirements have not been met by 2010, the land will be given to Arts Place, he told the board in May of last year.
Medler said some fund-raising events may also be held. None are in the works right now, he said.
“(Fund-raising is) always under consideration,” Medler said.
Another option for funding phases two and three is to have federal funds earmarked for the project.
Bruce Hosier, mayor of Portland, and Phil Metzger, manager of business development for The Schneider Corporation of Indianapolis, were in Washington D.C. March 7-9 to lobby for that funding. Schneider is doing the engineering work for the park project.
They met with advisors for U.S. Representative Mike Pence (R-6th District) and spoke with U.S. Senator Richard Lugar (R-Indiana). They discussed the final plans for the project and asked that Pence and Lugar take the request for funding to appropriations committees.
“We were very pleased with the response and reception we received,” Hosier said after Tuesday’s park board meeting. “I feel very confident that both of their offices will work very hard” to get funds for the project. “I’m very optimistic and very hopeful.”
Hosier said city officials should know if funds were earmarked for the project by the fall. If the city is awarded funds, the money should be available for use by early 2007, he said.
Phase two includes walking paths and trails through the park. Those projects will be funded by a TE grant, which is administered by the Indiana Department of Transportation. Also included in phase two is the construction of a large pond and roads through the park. The city has already committed $264,670 in EDIT funds for this phase, yet more funds are needed to complete the project. Phase two has been estimated to cost $1.67 million.
None of the phase two projects, or any in phase three, have yet been bid out. Medler said once the projects are bid, the board will have a more accurate figure for the total cost of the park project.
Phase three, which is expected to be the most costly of the three phases, includes the construction of shelters, parking, the amphitheater, the bridge over the pond, playgrounds and recreational fields. Hosier said this morning the estimate of phase three is $1.97 million.
Work on phase one, which is the park entrance, has already begun. Schneider officials announced in February that engineering work for phase two also had been set in motion. This work is being funded through part of the TE grant and some of the park department’s budget.
The board spent the first five years after receiving the land on planning and trying to find sources of funding. In late 2004, before receiving the nudge from Hudson and after being rejected several times for grants, park board members decided they were tired of concentrating on funding sources and were ready to move the project forward.
The long-delayed dream finally began to take shape.
A citizens advisory committee was formed to generate ideas for the park and funding sources. The board then voted to hire Schneider to design the park, and sought bids to do the construction work on phase one.
Looking back on the progress the project has made in the last two years, Medler is very pleased.
“I think we’ve done more recently than I remember” in my many years on the board, he said.
Hosier agrees.
“I think now we’re on the right path,” he said.[[In-content Ad]]The path to applying for federal and state funding for future improvements to Portland’s parks has been paved.
Neil Medler, president of the Portland Park Board, announced Tuesday night that the Indiana Department of Natural Resources has approved the five-year master plan for the city’s park system. Having an updated plan could increase the city’s chances of getting federal and state funding.
An updated plan was needed because the park system’s master plan has expired. The new plan, which includes the city’s vision for parks in the next five years, planned improvements and expected maintenance, will be good through 2010.
Officials with The Schneider Corporation of Indianapolis created the five-year master plan at a cost of $8,000.
Also Tuesday, the board approved changes in the hours of operation at the Portland Pool. The changes were made at the suggestion of pool manager Jennifer Snow.
This summer the hours of operation will be Monday through Friday from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Evening swimming will only be available on Sundays from 7 to 9 p.m.
Adult swimming sessions will be offered on Saturday mornings, rather than weekdays, to allow more people to come.
The pool will open for the season on May 27.
In other business, street and park department superintendent Jeff Harker announced that the new playground equipment for Memorial Park is being installed this week.
The park, located on South Western Avenue near Blaine Pike, is receiving a new slide unit, along with two swing sets, two park benches and one bench swing.
The equipment was purchased from GameTime of Holland, Mich., at a cost of $49,980.
Dan Shaw of Fort Wayne, who is installing the equipment, said Tuesday afternoon that the installation should be complete by Saturday or Sunday.
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