Indy Parks outlines $38 million in 2024 work and previews 2025 capital plan

Indy Parks staff told the Board of Parks and Recreation on Jan. 21 that the department completed about $38,000,000 in improvements across the park system in 2024 and presented a capital improvement plan for 2025 that emphasizes master planning, aquatics upgrades and finishing ARPA playgrounds.

Corey Kranick, construction administrator, and Kevin Thompson, construction project manager, reviewed 2024 accomplishments and described priorities for the year ahead. "We actually added up all of our invoicing, and we completed through $38,000,000 worth of improvements across the park system just last year," Kranick said. Staff said the work in 2024 included more than 40 design projects, 50 construction projects across more than 50 parks, new playgrounds and courts, pool liner replacements, ADA door and ramp upgrades at multiple family centers, new comfort stations and completion of a food program relocation to Riverside Adventure Park.

For 2025, staff listed planned master plans for Century Park and Jackson Bell's Run Park, continuing design work at Decatur Park and environmental remediation design at Edward Martin Park. The department also noted a continuing program of aquatics upgrades — including slide gel coating, pool equipment repairs and feature replacements — and remaining work on an ARPA playground program (23 playgrounds total; staff said 15 were completed and the remainder are expected this spring). Staff said forestry and landscaping contracts, roof and HVAC contingencies, and other predictable capital maintenance items were included in the plan.

Board members pressed staff on pool readiness and maintenance. A board member asked whether pool pump and mechanical work is covered in the capital plan or handled by maintenance and whether funding exists to avoid last season’s service interruptions. Staff said pool evaluations and routine maintenance are led by the parks maintenance team and aquatic supervisor; larger repairs elevate to the capital program. Staff noted a small contingency line (identified in the capital listing) for unforeseen pumps or chemical costs and said larger replacements such as at Riverside may require roughly $200,000 and would be handled as capital projects.

The board received the presentation and staff said detailed project lists were available in handouts. Staff also noted that several Lilly Endowment‑funded projects are moving toward construction as weather permits and that work awarded late in 2024 — including projects at Tarkington Park, Frederick Douglass Sports Fields, Franklin Community Park and Chapel Hill Park — will proceed when conditions allow.