Parks update: Founders Park sand to remain, Monon Community Center operations and water‑park capacity explained
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Summary
Parks officials said Founders Park will keep its sand play feature but will add fencing and replace safety surfacing; the Monon Community Center has covered operating expenses since 2010 (except pandemic year), and parks staff described lifeguard staffing and capacity limits at the water park.
Carmel parks officials told residents the sand feature at Founders Park will remain and that the parks department will add fencing and replace degraded safety surfacing to reduce wear from sand. Michael Klickstein, director of Carmel Clay Parks & Recreation (mentioned by Councilor Rich Taylor at the town hall), said professional engineers designed the playground and that sand was not identified as a safety hazard in prior studies.
"The sand has never been a safety issue," parks staff said, and added that abrasion from sand increases the wear on the rubber safety surface, prompting plans to replace that surface and add a fence between the playground and parking area to keep children from running into traffic.
Monon Community Center operations: Parks and former parks‑board members reviewed the center’s fiscal history. Speakers said trustees committed that operating income would cover operating expenses (excluding capital costs) and that since 2010 the center has generally met that goal, except during the six‑month COVID closure in 2020 when reserves covered an operating shortfall. Staff said the water park’s permitted operational capacity is set below the maximum design capacity and is driven primarily by the number of lifeguards required under American Red Cross standards; the parks entity said it staffs beyond the minimum ratio to improve safety.
Capacity and access concerns: Residents raised crowding and out‑of‑county attendance at the water park. Officials responded that the Monon facility is a public amenity and cannot legally deny access to residents based on address and that staff will look at options such as member hours or dynamic pricing where legally permitted. The parks director said financial and operational performance data for the Monon Community Center and associated facilities are available in board packets and by request.
Park safety and enforcement: The city said it has launched a parks resource officer (PRO) program — two full‑time officers assigned to parks — and is also contracting off‑duty deputies and working with Carmel Police on security and enforcement staffing at high‑use facilities.
No staff recommended closing the sand feature; instead the city will pursue surface replacement, new fencing, and continued monitoring of safety metrics.