Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Parks Recreation topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
City unveils Westside Park master plan; estimate about $10 million with phased options
Summary
City staff and consultants on March 24 presented a Westside Park master plan that centers a skate park, splash plaza and obstacle-course play areas; consultants estimated 2025 construction costs at about $8.7 million and a total program cost near $10 million including design and contingency.
City staff and consultants presented a master plan and cost estimate for a proposed Westside Park on March 24, describing a neighborhood-scale park focused on teen- and family-oriented amenities and estimating total implementation costs in 2025 dollars at roughly $10 million when design, contingencies and soft costs are included.
V3 designers Sarah Evans and Corinne Lucas described park features developed through public outreach (an online survey with 481 responses plus two engagement events) and directed design work that included brownfields environmental testing. The presentation listed these primary features: a visible skate park near Lafayette Avenue, a single-access parking lot with 18 spaces plus 2 ADA stalls (20 total), a restroom and large group shelter adjacent to a multi-use plaza with water jets (a splash pad), synthetic-turf mounded play elements, an obstacle course and bouldering walls, seating and a perimeter trail. The perimeter trail shown measures roughly a quarter‑mile.
Consultants said the construction-only cost estimate is about $8.7 million; including anticipated design, permitting and a 30% contingency the planning-level total is roughly $10 million in 2025 dollars. V3 recommended adding an allowance of 5–6% for inflation if implementation is delayed several years. Project assumptions cited in the presentation include asphalt pavement for the parking and primary trail surfaces, concrete or pavers for the multi-use plaza/splash pad, and synthetic safety surfacing for play and obstacle areas.
City parks staff said all on‑site environmental testing to date showed no chemical contamination that poses a risk to human health, and the city is pursuing site closure with the Indiana Department of Environmental Management; staff warned the final site closure will likely include an environmental restrictive covenant that disallows using groundwater from the site for drinking water. Derek (city staff) said the Brownfields grant covered environmental testing and part of the master-plan work.
Staff said the master plan will be forwarded to the Lebanon Parks Board for formal adoption into the parks master plan. Staff and consultants emphasized the plan can be implemented in phases and that multiple grants—such as the Land and Water Conservation Fund—may be suitable for portions of the project. No council vote was required or taken on March 24.
