Park Board Discusses Baker Youth Merger, Hears 9/11 Proposal
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Jennifer Peryam-jperyam@timesuniononline.com
Warsaw Park Board reviewed a request for the Boys & Girls Club of Kosciusko County to terminate its lease of the Pete Thorn Center during Tuesday’s meeting. It was first announced during Monday night’s Baker Youth Club Awards banquet that BYC and Boys and Girls Club of Kosciusko County would merge. The group will be know as Baker Youth Club. Children who had been meeting at the Pete Thorn Center will now be bussed to BYC’s location on Market Street. The Times-Union previously reported March 12 that Cindy Knepper, Boys & Girls Club of Kosciusko County unit manager, resigned, and the club had been closed since March. During Tuesday night’s park board meeting, Jon Garber, Warsaw Parks Department superintendent, reviewed a letter from Letrecia Harrell, Boys & Girls Club of Kosciusko County president. The letter requested the park board terminate the Boys & Girls Club of Kosciusko County’s existing lease for the Pete Thorn Center at 800 N. Park Avenue. The letter also requested that the organization have until the end of this month to remove its equipment. The board did not take action on the requests, but thought it would be a good idea to allow the park board to tour the facility to determine what the best use for the property is. Garber said the Boys and Girls Club is paid through April on its lease for the Pete Thorn Center building. Representatives from Baker Youth Club will tour the facility today to conduct an inventory of items that their agency would be able to utilize. The board also is updating the parks departments master plan for 2012-2016. One of the issues the board has decided is important to further investigate and evaluate is discussing what to do with the Pete Thorn Center. Other issues that need further evaluation to better define and address the master plan are what should be the role of the parks department in developing trails in the community, and accessibility of all parks sites and facilities. Also during the meeting, the board heard a request from Mike Cox, 9/11 committee co-chair, to allow the committee to add steel beams from the World Trade Center to the existing 9/11 Memorial at Central Park. The project also would include adding a new sidewalk, new base pad, plaque and steel beams from the World Trade Center. Garber asked for additional details on the proposal, and for Cox to present more detailed information to the park board at a future meeting. Pat Brown, SiteScapes, reviewed the city’s five-year action plan that provides priorities for the city. He reviewed additional items that have been added to the action plan. An additional 2012 priority is hiring a year-round part-time activities department and administrative assistant position. Priorities for 2013 include hiring a full-time maintenance laborer and updating park signage. A priority for 2014 is upgrading a part-time position to full-time for assistant activities director. The 2015 priorities include paving the lower parking lot at Lucerne Park, replacing the shelter at Nye Park, and replacing the restroom building at Richardson-Dubois Park. Priorities for 2016 include constructing a new shelter at the north end of Bixler Park, and constructing a no-leash dog park.
