Before it looks like Christmas, there’s work to be done at park

Thursday, November 12, 2020

With Thanksgiving now just two weeks away, Santa’s elves will need to get busy if a planned Christmas lights display at Robe-Ann Park will go on as scheduled.

That is the plan, Park Director Rod Weinschenk told the Park Board at its November meeting.

Weinschenk said he has met with Greencastle Civic League representative Kate Knaul about some of the particulars of the project, such as who is responsible for what, etc.

A work date was scheduled, he said, for Saturday, Nov. 21 at the park office/maintenance building, likely at 9 a.m. The work will include assembling the PVC Christmas trees and painting them.

A letter from Knaul detailing the possible project was read at the Park Board’s August meeting and she attended the September session to address any questions and concerns.

”By all accounts, there’s been a longstanding desire to have a holiday lights display in Greencastle,” her letter said, adding that various groups are ready to make it happen.

Those groups include the Civic League, Putnam County Convention and Visitor Bureau, Greencastle Arts Council and Putnam County Chamber of Commerce.

What apparently has pushed the project along this year is that a resident approached the Visitor Bureau willing to donate equipment previously used for a large light show in her Indianapolis neighborhood.

Volunteers will be needed for such tasks as constructing props from PVC pipe to be covered in lights rather than pending a couple thousand dollars for such items. Other volunteers would be needed to wrap trees and structures with lights. One tedious task will be going through each strand of lights, making sure they are in working order and replacing burned-out bulbs.

The full proposal for necessary equipment has been estimated at $25,000 with the Civic League suggesting that a reasonable goal would be to raise a third of that for this first year.

Weinschenk reported that $10,000 has been raised so far this year.

The proposal has suggested the lights would be up from Thanksgiving to New Year’s.

Meanwhile, the Park Board also heard compliments and a complaint about the expanded pickleball courts.

Park Vice President John Hennette, who conducted the meeting in the absence of president Tim Trigg, said the most recent pickleball tourney was a huge success with all the courts in use.

However, Weinschenk said he has had to run off rollerbladders, bicyclists, skateboarders and even a woman who was training to try out for the Naptown Roller Derby team.

Mayor Bill Dory asked Weinschenk to post signs that skateboards, bicycles, etc. are not allowed on the pickleball courts.

The question was asked about bringing in the nets as the weather gets cold and wintry.

“Pickleball players want to play anytime we have a nice day,” Weinschenk said.

It was suggested that perhaps half of the nets could be taken down for winter. No official action was taken.

In other business, the Park Board:

-- Heard Weinschenk report that the popular Breakfast with the Grinch program will be moved to the Putnam Inn’s new Owl Ridge Event Center, 3333 S. U.S. 231, Greencastle, where there will be room for 100 people instead of the limit of 40 in the past at Putnam Inn. Cost of the Dec. 12 breakfast is $17 per person.

-- Approved a $13,000 proposal for CECon Engineering and Jessica Hartman, Greencastle, to do engineering and make schematic designs of Robe-Ann Park to be used as guides for future modifications of the park.

-- Heard that registrations for youth basketball are being accepted through Nov. 21. So far 30 youngsters have signed up, Weinschenk said.

-- Learned that the dugout project on the youth baseball field at Big Walnut Sports Park will be rebid after no bids were received recently. The league is planning on its season starting at the end of March.

-- Heard that 395 vehicles with a total of approximately 820 kids went through the trunk-or-treat set-up at Big Walnut Sports Park on Halloween. Some cars arrived as early as 3:30 p.m. for the 4-6 p.m. event. Some reportedly sat in line for two hours with the last vehicle pulling out at 7:35.

-- Approved a $1,075 expense for winterization of the splash park by Spear Corp., Roachdale.

-- Approved posting of “Save Your Super Hero” banners at Robe-Ann Park and near the Fillmore trailhead along Calbert Way by Putnam County Hospital. The signage reminds residents to be a super hero and wear a mask to help prevent the spread of COVID-19.

Board member Hennette was joined for November meeting by Cathy Merrell and Joanna Muncie.

Also attending were Mayor Dory, Park Director Weinschenk, Councilman Jake Widner and via Zoom, Assistant Park Director Chrysta Snellenberger.

The next regular session of the City Park Board is set for 7 p.m. Thursday, Dec. 3 at City Hall.

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  • Idea for Christmas in the park why not let each of the high schools & grade schools make decoration for the park maybe by putting up trees or hanging lights anything to make it community oriented. Kind of like Cloverdale does for Halloween with the scarecrows and decorations on the main streets.

    -- Posted by pjr1974 on Fri, Nov 13, 2020, at 10:07 AM
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