The Vanderburgh County Council approved an appropriation of up to $50,170 to remove old ball‑field structures at Burdett Park and convert part of the site to overflow parking for large events, but asked staff to pause awarding contracts for several weeks while the county highway garage evaluates whether it can do some or all of the work at lower cost.

Parks staff described the project as demolition of two baseball fields, removal of aged light poles, fences and small structures, and cleanup and seeding of the area. “The majority of this amount is to get the very old outdated light poles and lights down,” the parks presenter said, adding the county garage lacks the equipment to disconnect and haul the poles. The parks director said he expects to spend about $50,000 but that costs could rise.

Council members urged exploring an in‑house option after recalling a previous county garage project that saved roughly $250,000 when the garage handled demolition work for the park. One council member proposed approving the appropriation but delaying awarding any contract for about 20 days to let the highway garage assess whether it can remove fencing, dugouts and other structures; if the garage can do the work, the county would rebid the remainder at a lower price.

The motion to appropriate up to $50,170 and to delay award was made, seconded and carried on a voice vote. Staff said they will seek county garage input, report back to the council and try to reduce the final cost; any award that would exceed the $50,170 cap would require a return to council. Park staff also noted the site lies in a floodplain and described it as unsuitable for capital improvements such as paving or levees; the council discussed keeping the area as grassed overflow parking and the potential for leasing or repurposing cleared land in the future.