Huntingburg Park Board tables bike ordinance discussion, approves grant application for accessible playground

The Huntingburg Park Board voted to table a proposed ordinance governing bicycle and e-bike use in city parks at its most recent meeting, with board members agreeing they needed more time to develop a workable proposal before sending recommendations to the city council.

Parks Director Jace Merkel brought the discussion forward after the city began exploring an ordinance to address safety concerns related to e-bikes and other motorized vehicles on sidewalks and in parks. Merkel said the city had already received multiple complaints from residents and the mayor’s office about near-miss incidents involving fast-moving bikes on park trails.

“We’ve had a lot of instances in our park already where I’ve gotten phone calls, the mayor’s gotten phone calls about people having to jump out of the way,” Merkel said. “Kids don’t stop at stop signs. They don’t look both ways on streets with them.”

Merkel explained that e-bikes present a particular challenge because, under current classifications, they are legally considered regular bicycles, meaning any ordinance restricting e-bikes would need to apply to all bicycles equally. He proposed that the board consider allowing bikes in designated areas of parks while restricting them from walking trails, with younger children permitted to ride if accompanied by a parent or guardian.

Board member Mike Fulkerson raised concerns about enforceability, questioning who would be responsible for policing the ordinance on the ground. Merkel responded that if a problem area and time pattern were identified, police officers could be stationed at the relevant park. He also noted that under the proposed ordinance framework, parents — not minors — would be the ones ticketed for violations.

“I don’t think it’s manageable,” Fulkerson said, though he acknowledged the need for some form of regulation.

Board member Dustin Schmett pointed out that without any ordinance in place, police currently have no legal basis to enforce rules around bike use in parks, even when incidents occur.

“At least if the police are there, they can have something to fall back on to enforce it,” Schmett said.

The board also discussed whether a single blanket ordinance could apply across all city parks, with members noting that each park has different layouts and access points. Merkel suggested the ordinance could address each park individually within a single document, specifying what is permitted at each location.

Niehaus Park was identified as the primary problem area, with Merkel suggesting that cyclists could be permitted to use the sidewalk off Chestnut Street to access the park but would be prohibited from entering the trails once inside.

After further discussion, the board agreed it was not prepared to make formal recommendations without more detailed information. A motion was made and passed to table the item, with Merkel agreeing to draft a written proposal and circulate it to board members by email ahead of the next meeting so they could come prepared with specific recommendations.

“I think we need to do some work on it and then make the proposal,” board member Randall Fehlberg said.

In other business, the board approved a resolution supporting the city’s application for grant funding through the Land and Water Conservation Fund to revitalize a playground near League Stadium.

Jessica Condra, a project administrator with the Indiana 15 Regional Planning Commission, presented the application details to the board during a public hearing held at the same meeting. The LWCF, established in 1965, assists state and federal agencies in preserving and developing outdoor recreation access. At the federal level, the grant is administered through the U.S. Department of the Interior National Park Service, with the state-level administration handled by the Indiana Department of Natural Resources.

The city is requesting a grant of $674,102.24, with a required local match of $674,102.25, making it a 50-50 grant. The local match is to be covered through a combination of city and Park Board appropriations, force account labor — meaning city employees performing excavation and related work — and in-kind donations such as park benches already owned by the city.

The playground targeted for revitalization is located directly north of the entrance to League Stadium and features a volcano climbing tower. Condra said the existing surface is uneven and poses accessibility barriers; some equipment is in poor condition, with pieces breaking off slides and the climbing tower, and parts for older equipment are no longer available. None of the current equipment meets ADA accessibility standards.

The project was recommended in the city’s 2023-2027 Parks and Recreation Master Plan, which called for accessibility routes and ADA compliance at the site. If funded, the existing playground would be removed and replaced with new equipment accessible to individuals of all abilities.

Merkel noted that the city’s ability to perform much of the work in-house was key to meeting the match requirement. “The in-kind money is what really got us there because we’re going to do a lot of the work ourselves,” he said. “Realistically the only thing that we’ll have to have done for us is the installation of the playground equipment and the turf.”

A community survey conducted as part of the application process drew 449 responses, with 96.5% of respondents expressing support for the project.

Condra outlined the anticipated timeline: the application deadline to the Indiana DNR is Aug. 1, after which the state will compile a list of projects for federal review. If selected, the federal review process can take up to nine months. If awarded, the city could expect to receive a grant agreement in the fall of 2027, with construction to follow.

The board voted unanimously to approve the resolution.

Also at the meeting, the board voted to ban an individual from all city parks and facilities following two separate incidents at the city pool involving alcohol and inappropriate behavior toward minors. Merkel said the individual had been asked not to return after the first incident but came back, prompting the second report.

The ban is permanent unless the individual appears before the board to request reinstatement. Merkel confirmed that a letter notifying the individual of the ban must be hand-delivered.

In additional business, Merkel updated the board on the turf installation at the southeast playground behind the girls’ softball field, which had been expected to be completed the previous Friday. Merkel said he inspected the site after installation and found the work fell short of expectations.

“The company that installed the turf did not do a very good job,” Merkel said, adding that the surface was uneven and lumpy. He said he has been in contact with the installer to arrange for the turf to be removed and relaid at no additional cost to the city.

“I just want to make sure if we’re going to spend this much money on a playground, it needs to be done correct,” Merkel said.

Merkel also presented the board with a completed budgetary cost estimate for a proposed youth sports complex master plan, cautioning that the figures include high contingencies and could be reduced if the city performs some of the work in-house. The plan includes nearly 300 additional parking spaces, created in part by removing an old street department storage building to make way for a lot with a new combined entrance and exit on the back side of the property.

The proposal would relocate the complex’s volleyball court to the park’s south side and add shelter houses on either side of a new centralized concession stand to offset the loss of an existing shelter house. Merkel said the plan calls for turf fields throughout the complex to reduce maintenance costs and allow for more flexible tournament scheduling.

The plan grew out of a committee that included representatives from boys’ and girls’ youth sports, middle school baseball and the high school. Merkel said one goal driving the proposal is consolidating the city’s youth sports programs, which currently operate separately, into a single unified board — following a model he said has already been adopted by the local Little League.

Merkel said the city has met with a potential donor about funding the project and is awaiting a decision, but described the current phase as a matter of identifying funding sources rather than finalizing design. He said large tournaments can bring thousands of visitors to the city in a single weekend and generate significant spending at local restaurants and hotels.

No formal action was taken on the youth sports complex proposal at this meeting.