A bird’s eye view rendering of the new Kephart Park planned in Bargersville. The town’s parks department held an online fundraiser for elements such as a park sign, picnic tables, grills, a walking trail and landscaping features.
Rendering provided by town of Bargersville
Donors have exceeded the fundraising goal set by Bargersville officials for Kephart Park amenities.
A fundraiser to pay for items such as a wooded walking trail, picnic tables, grills, a sign for the park and landscaping reached $58,467 Tuesday, exceeding a $50,000 goal and triggering a $50,000 match from the Indiana Housing and Community Development Authority, or IHCDA.
The park elements were to be included in Kephart Park when it opens this summer regardless of how much money was raised. With the donations, however, the Bargersville Parks Department will be able to save money it would’ve spent on those features and put it toward future programs, Parks Director Kris Wilson said when the fundraiser began in April.
When it opens, the $3.5 million, six-acre park northeast of County Road 144 and Saddle Club Road will feature a splash pad, pickleball courts, restrooms, grills, a trail and playground equipment. As part of a fiber internet expansion with Metronet and Johnson County Fiber, Kephart Park will be the first in Bargersville with WiFi.
Officials broke ground on the park last June. The park had been in the works for several years. Bargersville officials bought the land for the park in Aug. 2015 for $124,195, and decided to name the park after the family who had owned the property. Plans didn’t progress beyond that point until late 2020, with funding decided in 2021 and 2022.
That funding came from park impact fees and the town’s $1.8 million allocation from the American Rescue Plan Act, part of a $1.9 trillion federal COVID-19 stimulus package.
