Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Parks And Recreation Master Plan topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Whiteland parks master plan revised after DNR flags ADA gaps, state cuts budget request
Summary
At its Feb. 4, 2026 meeting, the Whiteland Town Park and Recreation Board reviewed Department of Natural Resources feedback that identified accessibility shortcomings in existing parks and playgrounds and learned the Department of Local Government Finance scaled the board's $40,000 budget request to about $1,900; the board will revise the master plan and pursue grants and an ADA transition plan.
Whiteland Town Park and Recreation Board members spent most of their Feb. 4, 2026 meeting reviewing a parks and recreation master plan after the Department of Natural Resources returned detailed feedback that requires edits and highlights accessibility problems. Unidentified Speaker 4, who presented the review, said DNR’s comments included required items the board must address before final submittal.
The changes matter, the presenter said, because several park facilities installed in past years do not meet federal accessibility expectations. “The biggest one that I guess I will call it a ding … anything we have put in the ground that is for the public’s use, sidewalks or the dog park, the park here at Saddle Brook, are not ADA compliant,” Unidentified Speaker 4 said, citing missing accessible paths, surfacing issues and gate/entrance designs that could prevent access.
DNR also offered suggested additions to the draft master plan; Unidentified Speaker 4 said context (the contracted planner) will make revisions and return a revised draft for the board to review before final submittal to DNR. “They provided us… with their feedback,” the presenter said, and the plan will be updated and returned for a final review and then forwarded to the town council for adoption once DNR’s concerns are addressed.
Complicating immediate fixes, the board’s proposed parks budget of about $40,000 was reduced by the Department of Local Government Finance to roughly $1,900, the presenter reported. “We had put in the budget, about $40,000. It’s kind of been our magic number. The Department of Local Government Finance denied that and put us back to about a $1,900 budget,” Unidentified Speaker 4 said, adding that the reduced allocation leaves little discretionary funding for upgrades.
Board members discussed next steps: developing an ADA transition plan to identify problem areas townwide, compiling a grants eligibility database, and seeking sources that could fund construction to required standards. Unidentified Speaker 5 asked whether ADA upgrades must be completed before applying for grants; Unidentified Speaker 4 replied they had not yet confirmed requirements for each grant program and hoped some grants would fund compliant construction rather than require preexisting compliance.
The presenter also said the building commissioner and the presenter will prepare a progress update on the town’s comprehensive plan for the planning commission and town council in March, which will include parks and trails accomplishments and the revised master plan timeline. The board expects to receive the revised master plan from its consultants in the coming weeks and will schedule a final review before the town formally adopts the plan once DNR signs off.
What’s next: the board will review the consultant’s revised plan, continue developing the ADA transition plan, and pursue grant or donation opportunities to supplement the limited local budget. No formal vote on the master plan occurred at the meeting.
(Reporting based on the Feb. 4, 2026 Park and Recreation Board meeting transcript; direct quotes and procedural actions are drawn from the meeting record.)
