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Board approves naming of donated Decatur Township land as Jack Butler Park
Summary
The Indianapolis Board of Parks and Recreation approved a resolution to formally accept and name a donated 27.9‑acre property in Decatur Township as Jack Butler Park, following a presentation by park staff and local residents.
The Board of Parks and Recreation for the consolidated city of Indianapolis voted June 17 to approve a resolution formally naming a recently donated 27.9‑acre parcel in Decatur Township as Jack Butler Park.
The parkland was donated to Indy Parks in June 2023 and includes trails, a pond, a bridge across a creek, a parking lot and an existing building the department hopes to repurpose as a community family center. Cheryl Richardson, senior manager of community relations for Indy Parks, told the board the donation came with an expectation of the name and that public meetings and local civic groups supported the request.
"Jack's Butler family was one of the original homesteaders in Decatur Township," Richardson said, and the naming packet includes Memorandum 22 20 23, letters of support from Decatur Township leaders and public meeting notes. Jason Holiday, trustee for Decatur Township, and Pat Andrews, chair of the Decatur Township Civic Council's land use committee, spoke in favor of the name at the meeting.
Board members asked for clarification about whether the land acceptance and the naming had been linked at the time of donation; staff confirmed they were intertwined and that the naming process was returning to the board for formal recognition. The board then moved and seconded the resolution and approved it by voice vote.
No formal conditions or follow‑up tasks were recorded in the meeting minutes beyond normal property acceptance steps and planned reuse work on trails and the repurposing of the existing building into a community center.
