Warsaw seeks input on park upgrades

By Dan Spalding | Times-Union

Tuesday night will likely be the best opportunity for residents to offer input on long-term changes that are in the works for Warsaw’s Central Park.

The Parks and Recreation Board will host its regular board meeting Tuesday at Center Lake Pavilion and will focus much of its attention on a presentation by consultants on a wide range of changes being considered by the park board.

The meeting starts at 5:15 p.m., and parks superintendent Larry Plummer said they want to hear from the public on various ideas.

Among the issues that will be open for discussion:

• The future of the Center Lake Pavilion.
• The future location of a new park office.
• Possible changes along the lakefront.
• The idea of a multi-use building that could be constructed next to the pavilion.

The existing park office needs to be relocated because the current building stands in the path of a road that will connect the northern end of Indiana Street with North Buffalo to the west. The change will tie in directly with the Buffalo Street project, a multi-faceted project that will move into a second phase this fall when construction is slated to begin.

The Buffalo Street project includes construction of housing, commercial and office space, plus development of a park plaza along the lake.

Representatives of Design Collaborative, Fort Wayne, have been hired by the city to help develop changes to the park’s master plan.

The city received some input through surveys that were sought during the Lakes Festival earlier this year. Consultants will recap those results and seek more ideas.

Plummer said he expects another meeting could be scheduled for August and some firm proposals could be unveiled in September.

“The more input we get, the better ideas we can get,” Plummer said.

The city also has an opportunity to purchase two lots that could expand the park. Those include the gas station at the corner of North Detroit and Canal streets. The other is near the intersection of Fort Wayne and Indiana streets.

The park may also eventually gain more space after NIPSCO revamps its substation just south of the park office. That change is expected to reduce the amount of space needed by the utility.

Central Park was developed under former Mayor Jeff Plank in the mid-1990s and merged with the existing Center lake Park. It has remained nearly the same since then.