How should Indianapolis update its parks? Here’s how to submit your ideas

Indy Parks has kicked off a new five-year master planning effort. In 2017, Indianapolis laid out a Comprehensive Master Plan for the parks system.  This new iteration updates that initiative and outlines community priorities and needs.

Indy Parks Director Phyllis Boyd said the process is ongoing.

“We need to be thinking constantly about what our parks are offering in terms of amenities on the physical side, but also what they are offering on the programmatic side,” Boyd said.

The goals of the plan include community inclusivity, a measurement of other systems and past initiatives, re-accreditation, and the creation of an equitable and realistic vision.

The public is invited to submit ideas online through the end of February. A separate youth survey is also provided.

Indy Parks is making a comprehensive effort to improve inclusivity and ethnic diversity. Indy Parks Chief Strategy Officer Kavita Mahoney said community partners are key.

“We’re engaging groups that we haven’t engaged in the past through the Immigrant Welcome Center, through Learning Tree, but also through Native American communities and communities with disabilities,” Mahoney said.

Record funding from grants, the Circle City Forward initiative and federal relief funding will help realize park visions.

Interviews with city leaders, stakeholders, Indy Parks staff, community partners, and user groups are also being conducted through the end of February.

Throughout the process, engagement opportunities and project updates can be accessed through the ADA-accessible, multilingual, community input website.

Contact WFYI city government and policy reporter Jill Sheridan at jsheridan@wfyi.org. Follow on Twitter: @JillASheridan.