Center Township revives park plan
New board members eager to see what can be done to improve Somers Park
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The political winds blew last year, ushering in changes at the Center Township Trustee’s Office: a new trustee, a new board, and now a new look at an ambitious plan to overhaul the township’s Somers Park on Kokomo’s northeast side.
The township board met on March 21 to review the plan, which was presented by Trustee Drew Durham. The plan was first presented last year, with one board member, Linda Koontz, standing firmly against improving the park. With two new board members – Tom Cleaver and Debra Rahe – taking office, Durham felt it was the right time to introduce the new board to the plans.
“We’ve been dealing with the Somers Park planning survey for about a year and a half now, but we haven't explored that with Debra and Tom,” said Durham. “Linda has been a part of the board for several years now, so she's aware of it. I thought it was a good time to kind of reignite that conversation and just kind of get the point of view.”
Durham explained that Center Township held an open house last summer for the community to review proposals for the park, which were generated from a community survey. The proposals differed significantly in cost, with the most ambitious plan costing $2.9 million.
The proposals contained everything from a walking trail around the park’s perimeter to a multi-tiered playground area to increased parking and lighting, and even restrooms and shelters. All of the proposed amenities sprang from the community survey responses.
“These are the most important park improvements; lighting was a big one,” said Durham. “Obviously, lights are a simple thing to fix to make sure it's safe down there. Additional benches. Walking paths. Parking was one of the biggest things. Public restrooms was another big thing. We can kind of go through and say alright, what do we need in the park?”
Durham pointed out that Somers Park is not very accessible to those with disabilities, due to the steep inclines around most of its border. This, too, would have to be addressed in any improvement plan.
Koontz, a Republican, has been a steady opponent of spending money on park improvements. Prior to this year, she sat in the minority on the board. This year, however, she has two fellow Republicans on the board. Believing herself now holding the majority view, she downplayed the park plan.
“I've got reservations simply because of the cost,” said Koontz. “The city gave us this park in the first place to take it off their hands, pretty much. I think there are some positives that we can do. But I'm not sure what kind of money we can dedicate to it, because our budget doesn’t include an extra $3 million.
“Statutorily, we're here to fill in the gaps of immediate health, housing, food, and medicine issues. We are in the middle of quite a bit of inflation. Even our costs went up this last year because of that. I would like to be able to do something. I’m not sure what that's going to be.
“We need to study this. I think there's a lot to be said for safe play areas. There are situations where they can make wheelchair accessible swings. That might be something to think about. Statutorily, priorities are not the park. And while I see a lot of positives to it, statutes rule in my mind. I come from a background of the courtroom, and I don't stray from what the law is.”
For his part, Cleaver seemed enthusiastic about improving Somers Park.
“I am going to go down to Somers Park, and I am going to size up the area,” said Cleaver. “I do feel we need surveillance cameras down there. I do feel we need lighting down there. And one of the best things we could put down there is a restroom. We want it to be a safe place.”
Rahe also voiced support for making improvements to the park.
“I believe that the children should have somewhere to go in the neighborhood,” said Rahe. “I grew up near a park, and we went there a lot. Kids need to get out and exercise. They need to use their minds and play games and interact and have fun, you know, and have a place for families to have picnics.
“We have, what, three different plans? But we could pick and choose improvements a la carte. We could say, ‘well, we don't want this because it's too expensive’ compared to something else in that area.”
Durham readily conceded that the township likely couldn’t afford the most elaborate plan and its $2.9 million price tag, but he appealed to the two new members, hoping they saw the benefits of improving Somers Park.
“My goal is to do something within my budget,” said Durham. “I can do something small. I can do something bigger. I don't want to put the township in a bind where we can't do our services, but I will have to disagree with Linda. It is statutory that we maintain parks.
“I understand townships are amazing for assistance. But you can't say that's the only thing a township can do. We provided almost $500,000 of assistance last year. I want to be able to present the park plan to the board in a way that's most beneficial to the taxpayer, the township, and the community.”