MENTONE – Mentone Town Council did not come to a decision Wednesday night on a layout for the Mentzer Park upgrade.
Through its participation in the Indiana Office of Community and Rural Affairs' (OCRA) Hoosier Enduring Legacy Program (HELP), Mentone is gaining special grant money to add to its American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) funds from the federal government and plans to use them on the park revamp.
Maggie Aravena, of Troyer Group, brought some design options Wednesday to present to the council. She said all three options were just under or at $200,000.
The first option had a combination of engineered wood fiber (EWF) and pour-in-place rubber. Pour-in-place rubber is a unitary safety surfacing that is used for playgrounds, water parks, dog parks, sports and fitness facilities. The more high-traffic area would be in the pour-in-place rubber area. For the first option, the existing playground would remain where it is. The play area has a parkour area, a double swing combo, a play tower with a slide and a twister play element.
The second concept has the existing playground, as well as a zipline, the swings and a smaller version of the parkour area. It also has what Aravena called an inclusive twister.
The third option had only pour-in-place rubber. Due to the price of the pour-in-place, Aravena said the existing swing set would have to be taken out. There would be four play towers with nets in the third option, with the swings.
Aravena said both the pour-in-place and EWF are American Disabilities Act-compliant. She said, for the EWF, it is recommended it be topped off with 2 inches of dust every two or three years and should be racked a couple times a year. Every five to 10 years, a full dust replacement is recommended. For the pour-in-place, it is recommended to do a seal coat every three to five years to increase the longevity.
Utilities Superintendent Josh Shepherd voiced concerns about the maintenance. With the sealing of the pour-in-place every three to five years, he estimated the cost at $20,000 every three years. If the EWF was replaced every three years, that would be $16,000 to replace that, he said.
Clerk-Treasurer Amanda Yaprak also had concerns the town wouldn’t be able to maintain either surface. Aravena said she is not sure the grant would allow the town to put mulch in at the park for cost-savings purposes. Council President Jill Gross said they may be able to look at grants to use for maintenance.
Aravena said if the town was worried about maintenance, the town could take out option 2. The town could also put in EWF in option 3, but then the town would leave $100,000 on the table.
Aravena said Troyer Group wanted to offer the town different style options so they could get the most out of their money.
Councilwoman Shelly Krueger asked if elements from each option could be changed out. Aravena said yes, for the most part.
One idea that was discussed was keeping the existing swing set. Shepherd said the existing frame might as well be utilized. He said having an all-natural play area is fine, but with an engineered wood swing set for $12,000, the town wasn’t getting much for the money in his opinion.
Krueger wanted to clarify that Shepherd was saying the town could keep the existing swing set and not get a new one. Shepherd said that was his thought. Then they would have to get an ADA-area underneath the current swing set. Aravena said if the town goes that route, Troyer Group would have to calculate what it would cost to do an ADA pathway down that area, because it might be a wash. Aravena also said if the park were to be inspected, she doesn’t know if the existing swing set would need to brought into ADA compliance and the fall zone around the swings may need to be improved.
Aravena also brought options for the pavillion at the park.
The first option was a gable style, which she said matches what the town all ready has at the park. It would have a shingle roof, restrooms and concessions. It is 30 by 50 foot area and would be about $230,000.
The second option is more of a modern monoslope. The cost would be approximately 30% more than the gable style.
Aravena said for a 30 by 50 area, she believed it would be able to have 10 tables in the area.
Shepherd said he was concerned about maintaining the wood siding that was talked about in the design. Aravena said she didn’t know if the cost of the pavillion would come down if the siding was vinyl instead of wood.
When asked if the town could use their own contractor, Aravena said she didn’t see why the town couldn’t use their own person, but they’d have to look at the grant requirements.
Aravena told the council Troyer Group would like to have at least have an idea of where to move forward. They need to at least come to the January meeting with a finalized plan. She said she believed the application had to be sent in by Jan. 20 and it would take a couple weeks to configure the final plan.
The council didn’t make a decision. Yaprak said she would make calls Thursday to try to get answers on grant requirements and Aravena said she’d give the council a date of when everything needs to be decided by, as well as get more information about options about wood and other elements.