Carmel board hears McDana Park master plan, asks consultants for grass-only cost and referendum options

Consultants for BBS presented an updated master plan for Jimmy McDana Memorial Park on June 10, telling the Carmel Town Board that a full buildout with turf infields would cost about $14 million while a scaled phase one could be done within a $5 million construction budget.

The plan, developed with input from user groups including MSA baseball and local skatepark users, would re-orient the main 90-foot baseball field to the northeast, add parking adjacent to the field for improved ADA access, upgrade lighting and expand facilities for youth programming. "Putting parking near the main baseball field was probably the biggest change we were recommending," consultant Kurt/Cornado said.

The presentation also included designs from Spawn Ranch for a larger concrete skatepark, which consultant and community speakers described as well used and valuable to town youth; the consultant said a higher-end skatepark could range into the high hundreds of thousands to around $1.1 million depending on scope. "The skatepark's not going anywhere," a board member said, while skatepark advocates stressed they would help with outreach and design input.

Board members and consultants spent much of the discussion debating synthetic turf versus natural grass. The consultant noted turf can allow earlier seasonal use but requires additional stormwater infrastructure and replacement every 12–15 years; a community member told the board that drainage and repair costs can make turf more expensive over time. "The drainage infrastructure that's underneath it — you ruin the turf when you access it," one resident said in describing maintenance tradeoffs. Several council members expressed a clear preference for grass and asked the consultants to provide revised cost estimates showing an all-grass, all-at-once construction scenario.

On financing, staff and members discussed holding a referendum to fund the project and possibly pairing the proposal with improvements at Sycamore Park. Town staff warned there are statutory timing steps tied to bond authorization and tax-cap overrides that make a November ballot difficult unless the town meets tight pre-election deadlines. "If the bond is approved, you would then have to override the tax cap and assume that debt," a staff member said, noting timelines for the ballot process.

The board directed BBS and staff to return with: (1) an all-grass cost estimate for an all-at-once build, (2) updated phasing and budget options that reflect potential savings from single mobilization, and (3) preliminary steps and timing considerations for a referendum if the board decides to pursue one. Staff and key board members agreed to a three-week follow-up call to review revised numbers and to consider scheduling a July executive session to recap findings.

Next steps: consultants will provide the requested grass-only and single-phase pricing, staff will explore referendum timing and whether to include Sycamore Park, and the board will reconvene in follow-up meetings to set any formal bond/ballot timetable.