Jared Logsdon, Superintendent of Parks and Recreation, told the Town of Zionsville Board of Parks and Recreation that department staff closed the year with training, repairs and several capital milestones and that roughly 3% of the general fund budget reverted to reserves at year-end.

“We were able to end fiscal year 2025 with approximately 3% reverting back to our general fund cash balances,” Logsdon said, summarizing the department’s year-end financial position and underscoring what he called “good stewardship.”

Logsdon outlined park and project highlights: Stantec’s restoration of 14.25 acres of prairie at Carpenter Nature Preserve, playground and roofing work at the Prairie Pavilion, completion milestones for Mulberry Fields’ concession stand and restrooms pending final inspections, and selection of Envoy Inc. and Structure Midwest as construction partners for the Lincoln Park refresh. He said Carpenter is nearing a substantial-completion punch list and expected to open to the public in 2026.

Mindy Murdock, director of recreation services, reported program and attendance figures that officials said show steady public engagement. “For 2025, we saw 33,109 contacts, of that 15,447 were visits to the Zionsville Nature Center itself,” Murdock said, and she noted that program fees brought in nearly $64,000 while donations and grants added about $22,000.

The board discussed outreach declines in some programs and the Creek Stomper event, which had nearly 4,500 participants in 2025, and staff outlined marketing and program adjustments planned for 2026. Officials said Nature Connections school visits and a Trailhopper mobile program contributed to a year of robust school programming and community events.

Logsdon credited volunteer partnerships — including the Boone County Invasive Cooperative and the Zionsville Parks Foundation, which officials said has pledged more than $1 million in support over four years — for helping advance restoration and programming. He also noted maintenance accomplishments, citing roughly 3,400 work orders created in 2025 and more than 1,100 trees added to the park system during the year.

Next steps identified at the meeting include final inspections and staged openings at Mulberry Fields, a public ribbon-cutting for Carpenter once the punch list is complete, continuing fundraising for Lincoln Park through the “Love for Lincoln” brick program, and staff follow-ups on marketing strategies to increase program registration. The board did not vote to change any project scopes at the meeting; staff will return with details and timetables as projects move toward completion.