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Warsaw Parks and Recreation Board heard about updates to the skate park, the Aktion Club tree planting and about the September team member of the month Tuesday.
Superintendent of Parks Larry Plummer informed the board the work on the skate park is moving along. All the concrete has been poured, and the railing, lighting and cabling for the camera systems have been installed. By the end of the week, they should be finished with placing topsoil and will be putting up signs Wednesday, Oct. 21.
“Do you get a lot of inquiries about when it will be open?” asked Board Vice President Michelle Boxell.
“Yes, we have a lot of people who are just itching to go at it. There are a lot of people who are excited about this, and it looks really nice,” said Plummer. “It’s all coming together … the guys building it have fun every day.”
The board also heard about the Aktion Club planting a new tree in Beyer Park, which was not only a donation from the club, but also from Board member Juergen Voss, as Boxell stated Voss gave the club a “really good deal” for the tree. Boxell noted the pride the club members felt about the tree, and how happy they were with it.
Plummer thanked the club, and “the willingness to give back to the community” and “taking pride in our parks.”
The board also heard about the dedication and “initiative to lead” regarding the September team member of the month. Plummer thanked Richard Pierson, parks team member, for being a great asset to the team.
In other business:
• The campgrounds, paddleboards and kayaks are closed for the season, and the outdoor equipment has been brought into storage. The paddleboards and kayaks will be a part of the department's refurbishing project this winter. All but three restrooms are winterized as well, but all will be winterized after Spooktacular on Friday, Oct. 30.
Plummer told the board they are working on making sure the Christmas decorations are ready to go for the upcoming displays.
• Recreation Director Stephanie Schaefer noted they had over 1,600 attendees for the Fall Family Fun event, and thanked the Hoosier Lakes Radio Club, Dave Neff and parks employees for helping out.
• Mark’s Ark Show was moved indoors and still had over 200 participants. There are seven programs still scheduled, with two of the seven being sold out.
• The recreation department will be showing the movie “Elf” at the Performing Arts Center at 7 p.m. Friday, Nov. 13.
• Schaefer noted the calendar for upcoming activities “is scheduled out to April 2028.”
• The rental fees were presented to the board members for their review. The board will approve the fees at the November meeting.
• Plummer told the board they will be applying for a $100,000 Lilly grant which will help phase one. The grant will help with planning for projects which will be narrowed down to a couple the community feels are important.
Phase two, totaling a $2.75 million grant, will go to the projects. If they are awarded phase one, they will need to present for phase two.
Plummer said, “Lilly is trying to have a park initiative across the state … the first phase sounds pretty promising.”
The employee appreciation luncheon will be Thursday for the employees.
The next board meeting will be at 5:15 p.m. Tuesday, Nov. 17.
