Martinsville staff outline Southview Park master plan centered on state-style skate park; FEMA sign-off required

Martinsville City staff on May 13 presented a master plan for Southview Park that centers on a state-style skate park and accompanying amenities and said the project cannot move to construction until federal property-use approvals are obtained.

Sunny, a city staff member presenting the plan, told the council the idea began with a petition submitted in April 2022 and that the city has been working with skatepark.org (formerly the Tony Hawk Foundation) and a local consultant on designs. "We immediately tried to think where we could place this skate park," Sunny said, and described the preferred site as city-owned property on Southview Drive that is in a floodplain and therefore subject to review by the Department of Homeland Security and FEMA.

The master plan shown to the council includes an all-access playground, three open shelters, parking, a fitness court (funded by a National Fitness Campaign grant), a walking trail and a state-style skate park area with a "bowl" feature and other skate elements. Sunny said parts of the site already have utilities and a rehabilitated existing raised structure on the parcel likely could be used for restrooms.

Sunny told the council that the city and a redevelopment commission have acquired adjacent parcels to consolidate the site and that the fitness-court equipment is already in storage: "We have equipment here in Martinsville in storage ready to go, as soon as we get the permission that we can move forward with the park." He said the fitness court is boxed in roughly "45 or 50 boxes" at Darling Street Park pending site clearance.

On timing and approvals, Sunny said the city has drafts ready and expects to submit documentation to FEMA once a county-to-city property transfer is recorded with the recorder's office. He said officials were told to expect a FEMA/Indiana review time of "anywhere between 6 to 8 months" and, given federal-level uncertainty, he was "leaning towards the 8 to 10 month" timeframe.

Sunny gave an initial construction cost estimate range and funding approach: earlier estimates were $2.5 million to $2.8 million but he said rising costs mean the project could come in around $3.2 million. He said the city expects to roll sidewalk-extension costs and other site work into a bond and that staff are pursuing grants to supplement financing.

Sunny described the procurement approach as a public bid and said the city will seek competitive pricing even though the lead designer/constructor (referred to locally as Hunter) is nearby. "We will do a public bid, and we will go through the corporate measures to do that," he said.

Sunny described outreach with skate users and designers: consultants interviewed local skaters and adapted elements to be all-access and to work on a high water table site with predominantly above-ground features. He emphasized that the design aims to serve both local residents and visitors and pointed to anticipated connectivity to new housing on Artesian Avenue and existing sidewalks toward Williamsburg Apartments.

Next steps staff outlined include completing the county-to-city transfer and recording, formally filing FEMA documentation, then awaiting the federal review and, if approved, conducting competitive bidding and contracting.

No formal council vote on the master plan or funding occurred at the May 13 meeting; council discussion at this meeting was limited to the presentation and clarifying questions from staff and members.