Vigo County Parks board reviews 2026 rates, capital needs and security options; approves claims and minutes
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Summary
At its Dec. 15 meeting the Vigo County Parks and Recreation board approved claims and minutes, reviewed a $21,000 engineering study to seek floodway map amendments, evaluated security camera packages, and heard proposals to order a new mower and procure another cabin; several motions were sought but vote tallies were not recorded in the transcript.
The Vigo County Parks and Recreation board opened its Dec. 15, 2025 meeting by approving November minutes and claims before hearing staff reports and new-business items that would shape parks operations in 2026.
Staff reported total year-end revenue of $317,068 and provided a breakdown by site: shelter and barn rentals ($26,134), Hawthorne Park revenues (about $96,000, mostly from camping), Fowler Park ($123,792, plus roughly $4,000 in point-of-sale sales) and Prairie Creek Park ($71,043). Staff cautioned the transcript includes an unclear concession-sales number and that detailed accounting would be in financial reports.
On security, staff outlined two camera options for parks: a lower-upfront package (described as about $3,000 for hardware plus recurring monthly fees of roughly $148 and $72) and a higher-upfront ($8,000) option with lower recurring costs; staff said the systems could include license-plate capture and 90-day data retention but further research and possible budget authority would be required before purchase.
Under new business, staff proposed and sought a motion to adopt the 2026 rates and policies. Key changes included raising the primitive-cabin nightly rate to $70 (from $60), raising primitive-camping to $20, and establishing a Griffin Bike Park community-space rental at $100 Monday–Thursday and $200 on weekends and holidays. The chair asked for a motion to adopt the rates and policies; the transcript records the motion being sought and an acknowledgement but does not record a roll-call tally.
Staff also presented a proposed $21,000 contract with Banning Engineering to evaluate whether parcels at Centennial Park along Highway 40 can be removed from the floodway; staff said RiverScape had been asked to pay half the cost but that final funding was not guaranteed and that an amended map would be required before conceptual design or construction could proceed.
Other items discussed included a recommended equipment purchase (a mower quoted at $24,009.85) and procuring a new cabin for Prairie Creek Park; the cabin vendor’s prior price was $18,615 and a stated 5% increase raised the quoted total to $19,545.75, prompting staff to say they would pursue decking and finishing in-house to reduce costs. Staff also circulated proposed 2026 meeting dates and announced Toys for Tots was permitted to use the parks’ log barn for temporary weekday storage.
Where votes were spoken aloud (claims and minutes), the chair declared them approved; for several new-business items staff "sought a vote" or "sought a motion," but the meeting record in the transcript does not include formal tally results or recorded final board actions for those items.
The board did not make any definitive funding commitments for the floodway study, cabin down payment or camera packages in the portion of the meeting provided in the transcript.
