Excerpts from Indy Star  | By Cara Anthony | 

Designs of Tarkington Park‘s future cafe, spray plaza and playground were revealed Tuesday night during an open house at North United Methodist Church. Dozens of residents turned out for the event, according to the Indy Star, including representatives from Midtown Indianapolis Inc.

(Renderings provided by Rundell Ernstberger Associates)

“This park, when it is done, will be a unique park in the entire park system,” said Michael McKillip, executive director of Midtown Indianapolis. “It’s driving the re-engagement and re-emergence of all the people that looked at this as someone else’s ‘backyard’ for the better part of 30 years.”

“We are casting a net far and wide looking for folks that want to be part of this endeavor to operate that cafe,” McKillip said. “We’re reaching out to anybody who has an idea about that park.”

Coffee shops, breweries and other local businesses have contacted Midtown Indianapolis with questions about the space, McKillip said. The city will ultimately choose a vendor, but before that can happen, design plans for the park must be finalized and approved.

The plan outlines changes for Tarkington Park including:

  • Building a graded play area for children of all ages and abilities.
  • Installing a spray plaza for use in summer months.
  • Adding a cafe building to be operated locally.
  • Adding restrooms and installing curb ramps on Illinois and 39th streets.
  • Creating a green space for designated planting.

The article states funding for the project will come from the Broad Ripple TIF, DPW local funds and Indianapolis Parks Foundation, with help from the Lilly Endowment. The city issued $1.5 million in bonds to help build the park.

 

Read the article as originally published.

 

 

Share This