Park Board Approves Central Park Rental Policy Change
Posted
Jennifer Peryam-jperyam@timesuniononline.com
People who want to rent out all of Central Park in Warsaw will no longer be able to.
However, they will continue to be allowed to rent out the plaza and shelters.
During its meeting Tuesday night, Warsaw Park Board unanimously approved no longer allowing all of Central Park to be rented out, but continuing to allow the rental of the plaza and shelters.
Park board members Steve Haines, Bill Baldwin, Toby Sumpter and Tammy Dalton voted in favor of the recommendation from Larry Plummer, parks director, who did not attend Tuesday's meeting. Park board member John Sadler also did not attend the meeting.
Plummer submitted a letter to the park board recommending that all of Central Park no longer be rented out.
Plummer said when the parks department started renting Central Park they only had three major events during the summer.
He said there are three major events now in addition to Safety Fest, Lakes Fest and many more programs going on in the park.
He wrote in his letter that several issues come into play with renting the park.
He said giving park employees the responsibility of garbage removal, restroom cleaning and hooking up electrical equipment would put a burden on the staff having so many events in a row.
"Eliminating rentals gives us a chance to do a thorough cleaning and grooming of the park for our own sponsored events," Plummer said in his letter. "Summer is just an overwhelmingly busy season for us to essentially be taking on additional events."
Also during the meeting, Park Superintendent Jon Garber thanked park board city council representative Dan Hampton, and park board member Tammy Dalton for their service on the park board.
During the meeting, the board heard a five-year parks department master plan update from Garber.
Garber said a questionnaire on park facilities and programs will be presented to the public for input in January water bills. The survey results will be discussed at the Feb. 15 park board meeting.
The regularly scheduled park board meeting will be at 6:15 p.m., and the public meeting will follow at 7 p.m. at Center Lake Pavilion.
The public meeting will be to present results of the survey questionnaire and to solicit public input on park facilities and programs.
Garber also presented the 2011 park activities sponsorship guide to park board members.
Opportunities are available for people to sponsor the Central Park Holiday light display in 2011.
