Jessica Metros was first in line on Saturday to share her ideas on what improvements she’d like to see as part of Hobart’s Festival Park project.
Metros, who has lived in Hobart for 10 years, was in the Festival Park meeting room, carefully placing round, colored stickers on a cardboard placard titled “Help Us Envision the Future.”
“I’m excited that city leaders are improving what we have,” Metros said.
Some of the improvements she’d like to see at Festival Park include expanding the farmer’s market and paddleboat/kayak rentals to attract more people.
Metros would also like to see an upgrade in musical performance opportunities.
“We have a ton of musicians,” Metros said.
Hobart Parks Director Julie Mandon-Kaszycki said the purpose of the public input session was so officials can go forward as the city plans future improvements and invests in the park’s next chapter.
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Participants were invited to place stickers on provided boards as to what amenities they’d like to see, write ideas on the board or write ideas on small cards placed into a suggestion box.
Hobart residents can also communicate their ideas in an online survey on the city’s Facebook account, city officials said.
“We want input from the community,” Mandon-Kaszycki said.
Once ideas are in place, “plans are to hit the ground running,” Mandon-Kaszycki said.
City officials are hoping to have improvements in place by Sept. 1, she said.
The Hobart Park and Recreation Board last August awarded a BOT, or build, operate and transfer agreement, to 523 Development out of Indianapolis.
The board, at that same meeting, also approved a five-year term on the not-to-exceed $6.6 million bond issue for improvements at Festival Park, located at 111 E. Old Ridge Road.
The park board at its March meeting approved a resolution confirming it will fund the project only up to the amount through the existing bond of $6.6 million, Chief of Staff Kelly Clemens said.
The resolution will now be forwarded to the Hobart City Council, which has the option to move forward with the entire project of around $12 million if it chooses to fund Phase 2, Clemens said.
Proposed improvements at the park are to “enhance the functionality, aesthetics and accessibility” and include an amphitheater, a destination playground, a spray pad for kids, a rentable public shelter and a paved parking lot.
The amphitheater could replace the wooden bandstand that is there now, according to the legal ad placed last summer.
Kay Marcus, a long-time resident of Hobart and a former music instructor, said she and fellow Kiwanis members Bob Flood and Amy Luedkte came to the event in hopes of having outdoor musical instruments added to Festival Park.
“Music is such an important part of life,” Marcus said.
Still other residents, including Kristy Camacho, suggested adding more family-friendly activities such as water activities and playground equipment.
“We need to make it appealing for new families that will be moving into Hobart,” Camacho said.
Sandy O’Brien, a botanist and Hobart resident, said her interest is in preserving and possibly adding plantings south of the Festival Park bandshell area.
“I’d like to try and keep native plantings in the city,” O’Brien said.
The park department’s previous bond issue was $4.1 million and was issued in spring 2017. It paid for new playground equipment at 10 parks, a new park department maintenance garage, a new walkway and wall along Lake George downtown, and other things.
Clemens said Festival Park is the most popular park in the city, which boasts some 26 parks.
“This is the one for everyone because it’s easy to get to. We want to make it really nice,” Clemens said, noting that making the walking trails ADA-compliant tops the list.
Hobart Mayor Josh Huddlestun has called Festival Park the heart of the city and an important destination point in downtown Hobart.
“This is the heartbeat of the community,” Huddlestun said on Saturday.
Deborah Laverty is a freelance reporter for the Post-Tribune.
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