Bargersville resident Roger Hitz places stickers on a board at a public input meeting on Tuesday.
Jayden Kennett | Daily Journal
About a dozen residents showed up to give input on the finishing touches of Bargersville’s five-year master plan on Tuesday night.
The town’s parks department held an open house-style public meeting for residents to ask questions, voice concerns and provide input on the updated five-year plan.
Attendees received stickers and $2,000 in faux money to interact with four boards throughout the meeting. Stickers were placed on different areas of the boards to indicate their unmet needs and what is most important to them when it comes to recreational activities and park and facility features. The faux money was placed on a board to show how park dollars should ideally be allocated.
A majority of residents in attendance said a top unmet need is a lack of trails and they would like to see more natural and paved trails developed. Holding special events at the parks was important to residents as well.
Bargersville resident Roger Hitz said he would like to see more parks and trails on the southwestern side of town.
Local business owner and resident Blythe Potter is pushing for more trails and green space. Potter said she would like to see more people access her business without having to bring a car.
Resident Phil Koch said he would like to see the expansion of bike trails and connectivity of neighborhoods and downtown, especially with more people moving into the town and routes becoming more heavily traveled. Koch holds weekly bike rides through town and other areas of Johnson County with Central Indiana Bicycle Association — anywhere from five to 10 people show up for the weekly bike rides, he said.
“One of my main goals is to make sure that everyone stays safe, stay off busy roads,” Koch said. “As the roads get busier, then we want more options, to be able to jump on the trail and separate ourselves from that because we want to be safe and — even though bike riders have the right to be on the road — we don’t want to disrupt traffic. It’s good to have alternatives.”
Resident Cathy Sanders said is excited about the overall growth of the town.
“We’re kind of new at this whole thing of parks and rec; so continuing focus and energy towards it, just like tonight. Tonight’s a good example,” Sanders said.
The master plan will include the town’s purpose and goals, department overview of the board, current inventory and budget, service area features, demographics, public participation and needs analysis priorities and action plan. A master plan is required by the Indiana Department of Natural Resources to be eligible for state and federal grant funding, according to documents presented at the open house.
Bargersville previously updated its parks master plan in 2021, but more information was needed to be submitted to the state for approval. The state recommended that they update it again, Parks Director Kris Wilson said in November.
A draft version of the updated master plan was sent to the state in early November. The town garnered feedback through a survey, receiving 444 responses, Wilson said Tuesday.
Tuesday’s public meeting was the final step to updating the master plan, which will be submitted for board approval on Feb. 9.
The Parks Department is still accepting feedback until Feb. 2. The Master Plan will be posted online and at town hall on Jan. 19. To provide additional comments, email [email protected].
Even before the five-year plan, the town has begun rolling out new parks. Umbarger Plaza, a downtown gathering space is now under construction and expected to open in the fall.Town Manager Dan Cartwright said this is an exciting time for the town, and officials can’t wait for continued expansions and the future of parks.
“We can’t wait for the new Umbarger Plaza that’ll open up all kinds of program opportunities we don’t have right now,” Cartwright said. “So it’s an exciting time.”
