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Kentland recap: parks, community center upgrades and plans for water and ordinances in 2025
Summary
Mike Davis, Kentland Town Board member and Kentland Task Force chair, summarized 2024 accomplishments—parks ribbon cuttings, community-center and pool repairs, a new airport helipad and ramp—and said the town will pursue water system alternatives and update ordinances in 2025.
Mike Davis, a member of the Kentland Town Board and chairman of the Kentland Task Force, presented the town’s 2024 community recap and outlined priorities for 2025.
"Kentland is a truly remarkable community," Davis said, thanking outgoing board member Debbie Shufflebarger and highlighting the year’s accomplishments. He noted infrastructure and recreation improvements, including a newly completed airport helipad to support EMS transfers to regional hospitals and an expanded airport ramp that also served as parking for the Dec. 1, 2024 fireworks event.
Davis said the Steve Ryan Community Center was a hub of activity in 2024: the Blue Devil Lagoon underwent major repairs, the facility employed 26 high-school and college students, and the pool hosted more than 9,000 visits. Inside the center, lighting was upgraded to LEDs, and programming included indoor pickleball, a Halloween carnival, youth basketball and two young-entrepreneur events. Outdoor basketball courts were resurfaced.
The town completed several transportation and site-improvement projects: widening Fourth Street to accommodate bicycles, constructing a near-complete parking lot on Third Street (Midway), and securing a former ICC-owned parcel east of US 41 on US 24 for future cleanup and reuse.
On parks and community facilities, Davis said the revived Kentland Park Board completed a five-year plan accepted by the state Department of Natural Resources, making the town eligible for a 50/50 match grant up to $800,000. The Kentland Task Force hosted ribbon cuttings for three projects: Autumn Trace senior community (Independent Living), the dedication of Baton Park (featuring a donor installation from Tim Deno's 3D Manufacturing), and Kentland's Wonder Park with 20 colorful murals created by South Newton students in partnership with the Jasper Newton Foundation.
Davis also described a completed child-care study and accompanying architectural plans; a working group led by Laura Robbins will develop a blueprint for certified child-care programming in the area. The Kentland Thrive fund, led by John Cassidy, began a campaign to match a $100,000 pledge to finance community-development projects.
Looking ahead to 2025, Davis said the town will update its ordinance manual (last revised in 1975), review protocols for blighted properties and zoning, install a streaming-media platform to improve meeting access, and prioritize drinking-water, stormwater and sewage-treatment maintenance planning. He invited residents to participate in the task force’s strategic planning and volunteer recruitment efforts.
The update was presented by Davis and contains no recorded formal motions or votes; the town will pursue alternatives on projects that require additional funding or approvals.
