Elkhart parks master plan submitted to Indiana DNR for review

Elkhart Park Board leaders submitted a draft of the department's comprehensive master plan to the Indiana Department of Natural Resources on April 15 for formal review. Jonathan Gills of the Troyer Group and Matthew Moyers, special projects manager for Elkhart Parks and Recreation, told the board the plan now enters the IDNR's review and remediation period. The submission matters because IDNR review is required to confirm the plan meets state minimum standards and because the department expects to use the document as a five-year guide for capital work, operations and community engagement. Moyers said the board will have a chance to review any IDNR-requested clarifications before a final board vote to adopt the plan. Moyers told the board that staff had posted materials for public review and set a submission deadline for April 15 to meet IDNR timetables. Jonathan Gills, representing Troyer Group, summarized the public-engagement and data work behind the plan: more than 22 stakeholder meetings; meetings with roughly three dozen community organizations; roughly 45 department meetings; and 298 public surveys that produced hundreds of open comments. Gills said the team used an "impact scoring matrix" to prioritize projects and build confidence in the recommendations. Board members and staff described the draft as comprehensive. Moyers said the plan will likely return for formal board approval next month, but the timing could move to June if IDNR asks for additional information. "There is a period of remediation, at which they may ask us for more information or for clarification," Moyers said. Gills added the IDNR had reviewed an early draft and gave favorable feedback, which the consultant said bodes well for the current submission. If IDNR requests clarifications, staff will work through those comments and bring the revised plan back to the Park Board for consideration. The board did not take a formal vote on adoption at the April 15 meeting; the action recorded was the department's submission to IDNR and the public-review step described by staff. Board members praised the engagement work. One board member said the layout was "terrific" and that the plan sections read clearly; Moyers and Gills encouraged members to read the full document and to provide feedback in the next review window. The master plan will be used to guide parks operations, capital projects and community partnerships if adopted after state review.