Consultant outlines five-year park plan; Alexandria park board presses for public input and budget clarity

A consultant hired to shape Alexandria’s five-year park plan told the Park Board on Monday that robust, well-documented public input will be essential to secure grant funding and to finalize design priorities.

Eric Freeman, introduced by John Thompson as the consultant working on the plan, walked board members through proposed outreach steps — in-person public input sessions tied to board nights, a standalone community-center session, mailed surveys to targeted postal routes and online options. "If you don't have adequate public input, it's a deal breaker right off the bat," Freeman said, urging the board to broaden outreach to schools, the YMCA, libraries and local organizations including the Autism Society of Indiana.

The plan highlights two anchor projects: a Harrison Street pedestrian corridor made up of multiple segments and a 23-acre park with loop trails and a proposed bridge connection to Riverview Park. Freeman said the corridor concept is drawn from the city’s comprehensive plan and pointed to grant opportunities tied to clear, documented community engagement. He also presented a direct-mail proposal covering 2,122 addresses; postage for that mailing was estimated at $1,358 and would come from a city planning allocation Freeman said could cover roughly $5,000 in promotional costs.

Board members and the presenter discussed logistics and accessibility: where to stage public sessions, whether to shift some meetings back to the park itself, and outreach to groups less likely to respond online such as older residents, faith communities and families of children with special needs. Angie, who identified herself during the meeting, asked for confirmation about park parcel ownership around Broadway and the dog-park area; the board asked staff to verify property records rather than assume ownership.

On a separate vote the board accepted a donated commemorative tree for the city’s 250th celebration to be placed near the veterans’ memorial, pending routine utility clearance and superintendent coordination.

Discussion of routine maintenance and operations shifted into a more contentious budget review. Board members reported that portions of the park budget had been revised by city staff without the board’s review. One board member said the adopted budget contains a line item of $32,491 for health insurance that the park board is not currently using to employ staff. The board agreed to request a formal meeting with the city’s budget staff to reconcile prior years’ baseline expenditures, clarify what remains available for park projects and confirm which line items (including payroll and insurance) belong to park operations.

Barrett provided a facilities update, saying a full pool-house floor estimate from the contractor that previously did work should be available in about two weeks. Board members flagged delays tied to contractor insurance documentation and emphasized that no work should proceed until required insurance is verified.

The meeting closed after routine announcements — including an offer to relocate basketball goals from the community center to the park — a short motion-and-voice vote on remaining business, and scheduling discussion for the next meeting. Several items were left as action requests to staff: verify property ownership of specific parcels, provide a finalized outreach/mailing budget, supply the superintendent’s availability for tree planting coordination, and set a joint review with city budget staff.

The board did not adopt the five-year plan itself; Freeman said he will return with a refined draft after incorporating the board’s edits and the agreed public-input schedule.