A plan for parks: DNR, parks board OK Mitchell's 5-year master plan

The final draft of the plan was accepted last week by the Indiana Department of Natural Resources, which now makes the city eligible for Land and Water Conservation Fund grants through the DNR. The plan also was approved by the Mitchell Parks Board.

“Our overriding goal is to make sure our city parks better serve our residents,” said Mitchell Mayor JD England. “I would like to see the Memorial Park in great condition with additions, but our focus just isn’t on the Memorial Park, but all of the city parks. We’re all excited to get started, especially the parks board, so we can make sure we are taking care of people of all ages when it comes to recreation in Mitchell.”

The plan is nearly 50 pages long, but the document includes timelines, historical information, facts about the area, topography details, population statistics and an action plan for the city of Mitchell.

Although the document includes plans for the park at City Hall, Friendship Park and the pocket park off Orchard Street, much of its focus is on the Mitchell Memorial Park, which is behind the city pool off Hancock Avenue. Not only is it the largest of the city parks, it was the subject of many complaints at the beginning of England’s term because the lack of maintenance and vandalism had caused the playground to fall into disrepair.

“This was the first major project we tackled during my term,” England said. “We re-organized the parks board, and I couldn’t be more happy with how this has turned out. They’ve worked hard on plans to improve our parks. They’ve been throwing around ideas for fundraising and how best to serve the community. They know what they want and they’re going after it.”

Short-term plans

The goal in the next year is to develop site-specific plans for each of the parks and address immediate needs.

For the Memorial Park that means removing the swings, chains and supports and replace those with new items; removing the fencing around the park and saving the boards for a new gateway and entrance; modifying or replacing the rocket with more details yet to be determined; open up enclosed areas to allow for greater police patrols; remove ash trees and plant new trees; upgrade the lighting and get costs for a security system; and start working toward making the playground more handicap accessible.

The park outlines goals for Friendship Park in the downtown that could include a stage, better landscaping, additional green space and a play area for children. While the hope for the park at City Hall is to upgrade the basketball courts and create new pathways. Plans for the pocket park off Orchard include upgrading equipment, adding landscaping and updating the green space.

Long-range plans

For the most part, the long-term plans for the parks in Mitchell would include the implementation of the upgrades to the parks that are outlined in the short-term plans.

But other ideas also include adding new shelter houses at the Memorial Park. The goal is to replace the existing shelter house and add two more, complete with grills and a walkway that leads around the playground. One proposal is to add a concert wall for showing summer movies at the Memorial Park.

Accessibility

To comply with the Americans with Disabilities Act, the plan also focuses on making all of the city parks more accessible. This would include handicap-accessible playground equipment, pathways that lead to permanent grills near the shelter houses and improve parking availability and sidewalks.

The cost identified with making the parks compliant with the ADA standards is estimated at $236,000. That money, of course, would have to come from grant funding.

“That’s the whole point of establishing a five-year park plan,” England said. “We’ve got to get funding in place to do the kind of things we want to do to make our parks better for all people.”

Copies of the five-year park plan are available for review at City Hall.