Park plans changed

The city may meet the deadline.

New plans, trimmed costs and possible funding avenues may make on-time completion of Hudson Family Park a reality.

Members of the Portland Park Board reviewed drawings Tuesday night for the next phase of Hudson Family Park.

This phase includes a 4-acre pond, an amphitheatre, parking areas, a drive, grading, grass seed, earthwork, engineering fees and the grading of a pedestrian path. Board members appeared to approve of the designs and were excited about the prospect of completing the park project.

With the cutbacks, this phase is now estimated to cost $500,000 to $600,000, compared to a previous estimate of $2.75 million.

The big cost-savings in the new plans reviewed Tuesday come from making the pond smaller than originally planned, cutting out a sound system, lighting and permanent covering for the amphitheater, not having permanent seating for the amphitheater and not paving a walking path that would go through the east side of the park.

When local resident Barry Hudson donated the land to the city in September of 2000, he said the pond and amphitheater must be in place by September of 2010, or the land would be given to Arts Place.

Nola Albrecht, landscape architect for The Schneider Corporation, presented new designs and plans for the east side of the park Tuesday.

After the meeting, Bruce Hosier, mayor of Portland, said the city has been contacted by a private source who is interested in helping fund the remaining park work.

Also, there is enough money in the city's budget to pay for the work, he said.

"We made a commitment to make this project a reality and I'm confident it will be done by the end of 2010," Hosier told board members.

"It's going to be a great space. What's done so far looks really good," said board member Kent McClung.

The drawing presented by Albrecht shows the 4-acre pond. She said the shape and size of the pond had to be altered because some wetlands were in the way. The amphitheater will be a concrete slab that is about 2-feet tall. She said lighting, a sound system and other features could be added later. From the stage there will be an 11-foot slope that can be used for lawn seating. At this point, there will be no permanent seating, she said.

Also in the current plans, there is an additional entrance/exit off of Seventh Street. This would mainly be used by street and park department employees and would be locked up at night, unless there is a lot of traffic for an event at the amphitheater, Albrecht said. Additional parking also will created, and a walk path will be graded but not paved.

The most expensive part of this final phase of the project will be the earthwork, she said. Albrecht added that she would like the bidding to be completed by the first of July, with construction starting in September of October. The cost estimate does not include the construction of the new street and park department headquarters.

In other business, park board members have decided to keep the skate park at Weiler-Wilson Park.

Board members voted Tuesday to seek quotes for security cameras for the skate park - in hopes that the cameras would curb future vandalisms.

City officials locked down the skate park more than a month ago after finding trash and bodily waste at the park. Several bolts also were stolen from the ramps and a picnic table was torn apart.

"I'd hate to throw away an investment," Neil Medler, president of the Portland Park Board said Tuesday night. Medler recommended that security cameras be installed both at the skate park and Portland Pool. At the May 5 meeting, board members discussed the possibility of dismantling the skate park.

Jeff Harker, street and park department superintendent, said one person has called him since the board last met. The woman asked for the city to keep the park.

McClung said someone also asked him to keep the skate park.

Doug Blankenbaker, assistant street and park department superintendent, said he will gather quotes for cameras and present them to the board next month.

Also Tuesday, board members learned that work on the river path has begun.

The path will begin at Meridian Street, near Freedom Park, then go southeast along the Salamonie River. It will then cross Wayne Street and go over the iron bridge and into Hudson Family Park. The work is mainly being funded through an Indiana Department of Transportation Transportation Enhancement Grant. The city has to pay 20 percent of the cost, which will be about $100,000 Hosier said Tuesday night.

He said work likely will be completed by the end of this month or early in July.[[In-content Ad]]