GREENFIELD — Over the next few years, the city’s parks leaders plan to look into ways to rejuvenate outdated and currently unusable areas of Greenfield’s Riley Park.
The Greenfield Parks and Recreation Board recently took the first step in that process when they hired PROS Consulting of Indianapolis to plan a new layout for Riley Park, mainly focusing on how to use available space in the northern section of the park. The contract will cost no more than $30,000.
When the Greenfield Youth Baseball Association built new baseball diamonds next to Greenfield Central Junior High School last year, it meant the five ball fields on the north end of Riley Park became vacant. The baseball association played its last games at Riley Park in the summer of 2018.
[sc:text-divider text-divider-title=”Story continues below gallery” ]
Since then, the area has accumulated dust and debris from the out-of-commission diamonds.
Ellen Kuker, director of Greenfield Parks and Recreation, said the department might keep one baseball field, which is commonly used by the Boys & Girls Clubs of Hancock County as well as neighborhood children, but eliminate four. That could free up about a third of Riley Park for new programming.
“We feel like it’s a blank slate,” Kuker said about the space. “What we do know is that some of Riley Park doesn’t work well now.”
The parks department over the past couple of years has paid for a new splash pad and a $3.3 million renovation to Riley Park Pool — all amenities located on the eastern part of the park.
“It does feel like Riley Park on the other side of the creek is stale and old,” Kuker said, referring to Brandywine Creek, which bisects the park. “On the east side of the park it’s exciting and new, and now we’re ready to address the west side and make it just as exciting and new for our community.”
Riley Park is divided into zones, Kuker said, based on activities for people of different ages. But space is tight. The park’s playground area designed for young children is on one side of Brandywine Creek, while a skate park and basketball courts intended for teenagers is on the other side. Kuker said she would like some separation between the two zones, possibly pushing one of those up to the old ball fields.
Kuker said she hopes each age group has between three and six “experiences” in each zone.
The parks department this year worked with another consultant to study the possibility of building a bike park at the baseball diamond area. That plan, however, has been put on hold, said Deby Low, vice president of the parks board.
Flooding is an issue in the park. The large pavilion that many rent out for events is typically unusable when the creek floods. It’s currently located on the east side of the main road through the park. Kuker said she would like it to be relocated farther to the west on higher ground.
PROS Consulting will also assess how to better incorporate the natural features of Riley Park, such as Brandywine Creek, into the design. Kuker said she envisions a kayak or canoe launch along the creek. The firm has worked on parks and recreation projects across the country, including in Carmel; Boulder, Colorado; Kentucky state parks; Kansas City, Missouri; and Broward County, Florida.
In addition to updating the older parts of Riley Park, Low said the parks department has a goal of connecting city parks through walkways. The future mile-long Brandywine Greenway will connect Brandywine Park to the Pennsy Trail. The trail will travel north through the park, from Davis Road to the Pennsy, crossing both Brandywine Creek and Potts Ditch. It will be built in 2020.
The city then hopes to secure funding to build a second phase of the Brandywine Greenway, potentially starting at the Pennsy Trail and heading north along Brandywine Creek, ending at Park Avenue. They’re also looking into the feasibility of connecting Riley Park to Henry B. Wilson Park, located east of the city’s hotel cluster at the State Road 9 interchange, along Brandywine Creek, Kuker added.
“We just want it to continue its viability and keeping up with the times and making it family-friendly,” Low said. “I feel like we can add some other amenities that will just enhance this park.”
Kuker said she anticipates working with the consultant for about four months. The firm will gather input from department staff, the parks board and members of the community and eventually present a proposed layout of different zones in the park, she said.
It could take about two years, Kuker said, before the department starts any sort of renovation in Riley Park.
