The newest Warsaw park has been christened Madison Park.
At its meeting on Tuesday, the Warsaw Parks and Recreation Board unanimously approved giving the city’s 20th park that moniker.
The small park with a playground is located behind the Downtown Warsaw YMCA near The Grove housing development.
The board actually gave naming rights to Cary Groninger and his family who donated the land and equipment for the park, and then approved the Groninger family’s suggestion.
The park’s location is at the site of the former Madison Elementary School.

    Warsaw Parks and Recreation Department maintenance carpenter Ben Mikel (R) was one of the recipients of the department’s “Above and Beyond Award” for August. With him is Warsaw Parks and Recreation Department Superintendent Larry Plummer. Photo Provided.
  

“I would agree with (the name),” said Warsaw Parks and Recreation Department Superintendent Larry Plummer before the vote. “Being a graduate of Madison, that is a good way to hold memories of what was there at one time.”
“It also goes along with McKinley Park. That was a school at one time as well and torn down,” he said.
Madison Park has been open for a few weeks, but the parks’ department hopes to have a ribbon-cutting and official opening in around four to six weeks after a sign with the park’s name comes in.
The board also heard an update on the Kelly Park pond project.
“The pond has been dredged,” said Plummer. “The ditch coming from Fawley Street has been widened, cleaned and new stone put in there. Stone around the pond is complete … and six aerators are installed.”

    Warsaw Parks and Recreation Department Recreation Director Assistant Lynnae Miller (R) also received the “Above and Beyond Award” for August. With her is Plummer. Photo provided.
  

“(Workers) still have seeding … of the lawn areas to finish, and some tree debris removal to do yet,” he said.
Plummer said visitors to the sledding hill will be affected this winter by the project as “dredgings from the pond” have been put there.
“They have a drain in the bottom of the hill that eventually this sediment will go down,” he said. “It will dry out, but it’s going to take about eight months to dry out.”
Plummer said “the hill (will be graded) all the way around, but we’re still going to keep the top fence just because of safety reasons to have that secured.”
“I anticipate this winter, if we get good snow, we can still climb up the hill and slide down, but we won’t be able to get on top and then go down,” he explained.
In other business, the board:
• Heard from Warsaw Parks and Recreation Department Maintenance Director Shaun Gardner that workers are replacing benches at Bixler Park.
• Heard about a number of upcoming parks activities from Warsaw Parks and Recreation Department Recreation Director Stephanie Schaefer. They include Touch-a-Truck from noon to 3 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 21, in Central Park and Fall Family Fun on Friday, Oct. 4, at Lucerne Park. Of the latter event, Schaefer said activities go from 6 to 8 p.m., with a movie shown from 7:30 to 9 p.m. New this year at Fall Family Fun will be pony rides.
• Heard that Warsaw Parks and Recreation Department Recreation Director Assistant Lynnae Miller and maintenance carpenter Ben Mikel received the department’s “Above and Beyond Award” for August.
The board’s next meeting is 5:15 p.m. Oct. 15 at Warsaw City Hall.