Evansville parks board approves $24 million parks bond after public hearing, 3-2

The Evansville Parks Board of Commissioners voted on Wednesday to approve the resolutions needed to issue a $24 million parks bond after a public hearing that included multiple speakers urging both maintenance of existing parks and caution about new, costly projects.

Members approved a confirmatory resolution, the bond resolution authorizing sale of the bonds and an appropriation resolution directing proceeds to listed projects. Roll-call votes on each resolution carried by a 3-2 margin.

The vote follows more than an hour of public comment in which downtown business representatives and neighborhood residents urged different priorities. A representative of the Downtown Evansville Economic Improvement District, recorded in the meeting transcript with two variant name entries (‘Adam Trinkle’ and later ‘Adam Bridal’), said the proposed park at Fourth and Main would help activate a new 160-unit housing development and called for moving forward on city parks. "We envision the park to be a hub for programming with events and activities that will increase consumer footfall," the speaker said.

Several residents urged the board…