Come and play

BRYANT — The town officially has a playground.

Bryant’s playground, the latest addition to Bryant Area Park, opened for children Tuesday. A ribbon-cutting ceremony for the equipment is slated for 4 p.m. May 2.

“Children are already playing on it,” explained park director Paul VanCise, who has been working on the project with Bryant Park Board and town council president Gregg Ellenberger. “It certainly is a central landmark now.”

The playground boasts two rock walls, four swings, a Spinami — it’s similar to a playground roundabout — as well as a large multi activity set, which includes three slides and two additional climbing devices. It also sports Freenotes musical equipment — chimes shaped like flowers — and a Unity Web — a 3D climbing surface.

“We wanted to get as much variety as we could with this first phase,” said VanCise.

Bryant has been developing its park and trail since establishing Bryant Park Board in May 2021. The park board created a five-year park plan with help from Jay County Trails Club. Taking into consideration input from a community survey, it made plans to add playground equipment and other outdoor games, fix up current amenities, add a new parking lot and construct a trail.

The Portland Foundation awarded a $110,000 grant to Bryant Park Board in 2022 for the playground equipment. Jay County Commissioners also allocated $50,000 to Bryant in Bitter Ridge Wind Farm economic development funds. (Commissioners allotted $50,000 to Bryant, Salamonia, Redkey and Pennville, as well as $100,000 to Portland and Dunkirk in 2021.)

Both funding opportunities allowed the town to purchase its new equipment, which VanCise explained is a resource for anyone in the Bryant area, not just town residents.

“The biggest reason it’s good for Bryant and the surrounding community is because we are about halfway between Berne and Portland,” said VanCise, noting the closest playgrounds to the west and east are in Montpelier and Celina, respectively. “Your closet playground equipment is quite far away for the surrounding area.”

The park is located on about 5 acres of land, mainly former railroad property, west of Meridian Street and north of Elm Street. The trail will curve around the park and span just over half a mile from Indiana 67 to Wilson Street. (Bryant received $438,500 from a Next Level Trails Grant through Indiana Department of Resources in 2022 for the project, which will kick off mid summer. For its 20% match, the town utilized $175,000 in funding from Indiana Economic Development Corporation’s regional office in Muncie.) A parking lot addition is planned for town property between Elm and Main streets, connecting the town’s existing pavilion just south of Main Street. There are also plans to relocate the town’s 130-year-old former jail building along the trail.

VanCise pointed to community leaders in the past who purchased the land.

“They had the dream to help develop something for the town, they just didn’t know what it would be,” he said. “The leaders of the past were the ones who bought the property, and without their foresight, we wouldn't be able to do this.”

Volunteers have made renovations and repairs to the park’s former existing facilities, which included a restroom building and basketball court, as well as planted trees and flowers.

In the last year, a gaga ball pit, tether ball, volleyball and four square courts were also added to the park. (They were paid for using the park’s general funding and donations from local businesses.) Jay County REMC donated its time in October to help install the new equipment and update its basketball court as a community service project.

As for the trail project, hopes are to see it through completion by January.

“By the end of the calendar year, the trail should be finished, and there will be a very sufficient park that the community can be proud of,” said VanCise.