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Lebanon to convert former street department site on Lafayette Avenue into west-side park
Summary
Lebanon Deputy Planning Director Derek Warren described a proposed park at 1301 Lafayette Ave featuring a skate park, splash pad, bouldering wall and plaza. The site has passed initial EPA-funded environmental testing; the city must complete brownfields documentation and secure funding before demolition and construction begin.
Lebanon Deputy Planning Director Derek Warren said the city plans to convert the former street department and Triangle Asphalt property at 1301 Lafayette Ave into a new park for the west side of town.
"It's been a fun process to be involved with," Warren said, describing environmental testing, community engagement and early design work for the site during Episode 202 of the Love and Lebanon podcast.
The project team envisions amenities aimed at older children and teens, including a skate park, a splash pad, an obstacle/bouldering wall, play mounds and tunnels, and a multi-use plaza. Warren said those features reflected public feedback: an online survey produced "over 500 responses," and the city augmented the survey with in-person outreach at community events.
Warren said the initial environmental work was funded in part through EPA grant dollars. "Our grant did cover the environmental testing, the phase 1 and the phase 2 on that site," he said. He also said the city is pursuing documentation through the Indiana Brownfields Authority to show the site is safe for park development and to guide demolition plans for existing structures.
The city purchased the property from Triangle Asphalt in May 1984, Warren said, and he described the parcel as "relatively a clean site" compared with public perception. He cautioned that brownfields paperwork and a demolition plan are required before structures are removed and construction can begin.
Warren said the next technical steps are completing the master-plan sketches and "adopt[ing] it into the current overall park master plan," after which the city will pursue funding. He described park impact fees as a growing local funding source but said additional grants or creative financing will be needed. "If the monies can be found, it will happen sooner rather than later," he said.
Warren said the project also will include connectivity work: a planned trail and sidewalk tied to a future Witt Road rebuild will link neighborhoods to the new park on the west side of the railroad line. He characterized the site as a neighborhood or pocket park that could also be a destination because of amenities not found elsewhere in Lebanon's park system.
The city used V3 for environmental testing and planning work, Warren said, and cited Willard Park (Indianapolis) and Switchyard Park (Bloomington) as benchmarks for specific design elements. He did not provide a construction start date; he said master planning has about a month and a half remaining and that the schedule hinges on funding and completion of brownfields paperwork.
Warren and Joe LePage, Lebanon's communications and community development director and host of the podcast, closed the episode saying they expect to provide further updates as funding and approvals progress.
