BROWNSTOWN
If everything goes as planned, there will be a lot of progress at the Brownstown Park in the next five years.
Members of the Brownstown Park Board have spent a lot of time this year putting together the extensive five-year plan, talking about improvements that need to be made and conducting work sessions to discuss it all.
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That has included working with Greg Beilfuss, chief planner of the Indiana Department of Natural Resources Division of Outdoor Recreation, to ensure their written plan meets all of the criteria.
Board secretary Linda Saucerman has handled a lot of the communication between the board and Beilfuss, updating him on the progress made on the plan.
She said some of the projects will require applying for grants to get funding to complete them, and it would be good to have someone help pursue those.
“It would be nice if we had a chance at that,” she told the board during a recent meeting.
The five-year action plan starts this year. The fencing recently was replaced around the volleyball court and screens were added, and a new fence was installed around the main pool, so both of this year’s items are checked off of the list.
The proposed projects and estimated costs for 2020 are installing an Americans with Disabilities Act-compliant walkway and retaining wall behind the softball field and lake ($35,000), installing two new bleacher sets at the softball field ($10,000), installing new dugouts and a scoreboard at the softball field ($20,000), installing a new fence at the softball field ($50,000) and planting a dozen shade trees in the park ($30,000).
In Saucerman’s correspondence with Beilfuss, he had several questions about ADA accessibility at the park. He stated that as improvements are made in the park, the board needs to ensure they meet ADA compliance mandates.
The names of a couple of local engineering consultants were given to the board to contact to see if they could help the board with ADA compliance.
In 2021, one of the most costly projects in the five-year plan will be replacing the play feature in the leisure pool, which has a cost estimate of $100,000. The board also plans to install an additional parking lot left of the park entrance off of Bridge Street ($50,000) and install a portion of security lighting and cameras in the park ($15,000).
The only project in 2022 is acquiring an additional lot at Heritage Park in the downtown ($50,000).
Another $100,000 project comes in 2023 when the board hopes to construct a building for restrooms at Heritage Park. At that same location, the board plans to construct a splash pad, which is estimated to cost $50,000.
The board also included two large projects that most likely will require grant funding. Acquiring 12 acres for additional park development and installing a walk and bike path around the perimeter of Brownstown Park each will cost around $200,000.