Plan complete

The five-year plan is complete.

Portland Park Board approved plans for 2022 through 2026 at its meeting Tuesday. The plan next moves to Indiana Department of Natural Resources for its review, with a response expected by February.

Also Tuesday, park board recognized board member Chris Compton’s resignation and elected new officers for 2022.

Ison highlighted priorities Tuesday for the next five years at each of the parks, with the priorities listed from community surveys done earlier this year.

As suggested by the public, hopes are to restore Portland Memorial Park’s baseball/softball fields and facilities and make incremental upgrades. Repairs or replacements of facilities, such as restrooms, storage and the concession stand, will be considered in regard to safety, community access and cleanliness. (This includes painting, upgrades and adding new structures.) Park board may also consider adding pickleball courts to the facility.

Officials plan to look into utilizing the green space at Hudson Family Park and potentially put in soccer fields. Hudson Family Park and Haynes Park may also receive additional equipment for youth, such as gaga ball pits.

Other improvements suggested in the plan include:

•A splash pad at Portland Water Park

•More shelter houses and gazebos and an additional trail and walking path at Hudson Family Park

Regular upkeep to each park, such as cleaning, repairs, replacements and other maintenance, is also included in the plan. Parks will be inspected by a park board member or other designated representative periodically.

Concerns were submitted in surveys about broken equipment and facilities, drugs and homeless individuals living in the parks, Ison noted, adding that security and vandalism will be addressed by officials on a regular basis.

Plans are to also host an annual tour of the Portland park system for park board members and the mayor, with the tour to be considered a public meeting.

In November, Ison reviewed areas of the plan that have been changed or updated from the 2017-21 plan, which expires at the end of the month. That included various ways in which the coronavirus pandemic impacted local parks, such as the restrictions put in place for the facilities and for the groups using them.

The 136-page plan lists current issues with parks and highlights improvements made in the last five years, such as roof work at the Hudson Family Park amphitheater and new sidewalks at Hines-Inman Field at Portland Memorial Park and at Weiler-Wilson park.

It provides statistics showing that between 1,800 and 2,500 participants are involved in various activities at the parks each year, and it also includes budget details, showing the parks budget has increased more than $100,000 since 2016, the year Portland Water Park opened. (Its capital projects budget has dropped from $60,000 to $35,000.)

Adoption of the plan — Ison explained it will need state approval first — is expected in March.

Compton mentioned her resignation at the beginning of the meeting. A teacher at Jay County High School, Compton joined the board six years ago as work wrapped up on Portland Water Park. She’s served as secretary her entire time on the board.

“It’s just kind of time to walk away,” she said.

She noted anyone interested in filling her position should contact Mayor John Boggs.

Park board also elected Ison as president, Giles Laux as vice president and Shauna Runkle as secretary.