The entrance sign to Greenwood’s Northwest Annex Park is seen.
DAILY JOURNAL FILE PHOTO
The city of Greenwood is investing millions of dollars in its parks.
The Greenwood Parks and Recreation Department plans to spend more than $23 million in the next five years on new park development, trails, equipment and other miscellaneous items. Next year alone, the city plans to spend $10.6 million on new park development, including land acquisitions, according to the city’s updated five-year master plan. The city’s parks board approved the updated plan Dec. 7. It will go to the state for final approval later this month, making the department eligible for state and federal grants, said Chuck Lehman, a consultant hired by the city to work on the updated plans.
The updated five-year plan highlights what the parks department considers its top priorities, which are partially based on responses the department received from a community survey which was conducted last year. Parks department leaders also provided input, said Rob Taggart, parks director.
The survey received 685 responses, a near majority of which was from Greenwood residents. Respondents said they thought indoor aquatics, expanded trails and pathways, inter-city connections, additional community events and aquatic programs should be among the city’s top parks priorities, according to city documents.
The master plan is intended to serve and meet some of the recreational deficiencies the city’s park system has, and provide a means to fix it and a timeline, Taggart said.
“The whole plan in itself is a good foundation,” he said. “(By) taking all of the large capital projects into account, it’s good to be able to have a vision beyond that.”
Among the items on the updated plan is developing new parks based on community needs, improving and expanding Greenwood’s trail network, and improving the city’s already-existing parks, according to city documents.
Greenwood is planning a 50- to 100-acre park in addition to the Worthsville Road Sports Park, which was announced during Mayor Mark Myers’ State of the City address in June. Other new park developments include the recent purchase of seven acres to expand Freedom Park, and construction of the Greenwood Fieldhouse, city documents show. The fieldhouse is expected to be completed early next year.
The city wants to expand its parks system beyond the 391 acres it already has. Three new parks are proposed under the updated five-year plan.
The first proposed park would be about 50 acres, located on Greenwood’s southside, from the southern edge of Summerfield Park to West County Road 600 North/Tracy Road. The second proposed park would be about 40 acres, near the intersection of Worthsville and Griffith roads on the city’s southeast side. The third park would be about 30 acres, located near Main Street and State Road 135 on Greenwood’s westside, according to city documents.
For the city’s extensive, more than 50-mile trail network, officials plan to complete the Polk Hill Trail loop, and add a Summerfield Trail loop by Summerfield Park. They also plan to add two connectors — one from the Northwest Trail to the Northwest Annex Trail, and another from Main Street to the University Park Trail. Gaps along the Smith Valley Road Trail will also be filled in, city documents show.
About $480,000 will be spent between now and 2025 on the city’s trails system, according to city documents.
Several of Greenwood’s parks are expected to get upgrades and new facilities under the five-year plan. The dog park at Freedom Park will receive two new shelter houses, along with an additional water supply. Westside Park’s dog park will also receive a new shelter house, city documents show.
The Greenwood Community Garden will be updated to include a grid system with a gardening storage shed.
Freedom Park will undergo nearly $1.3 million in upgrades in the next five years. The city plans to add a new parking lot next to the dog park and playing fields. A new access road which will cut through Freedom Park will be built near Averitt and Cutsinger roads as well, according to city documents.
The rest of the city’s remaining parks will see equipment replacements and minor infrastructure updates, city documents show.
