The renovation of Frances Wooden Northside Park is moving a step closer to reality.
On Wednesday, plans for the updated park were shared and input gathered during a public meeting at Bethel AME Church. The meeeting drew an audience of 25 city, church and community members.
The park is located by the historic Bethel AME Church on North Street and has ties to the Underground Railroad. Construction is tentatively scheduled for spring 2023. The work is being funded by an anonymous donor through the Montgomery County Community Foundation and the City of Crawfordsville.
Kelly Taylor, MCCF CEO, said the organization is excited to be involved in another park project after witnessing the success and impact of renovations last year to the Kathy Steele Park on the city’s west side. Taylor said the anonymous donor who helped make those renovations possible was so pleased with the results that the donor wanted to be involved in another park project.
HWC, the Indianapolis engineering firm that spearheaded the design of the Kathy Steele Park on West Main Street, as well as Pike Place in downtown Crawfordsville, is leading the latest project.
Kyle Lueken, HWC landscape architect, said Wednesday’s meeting was to share an overview of the project and allow community members an opportunity to share their input on various elements for the project.
The site is expected to include a large shelter, separate play structures for older and younger children, green spaces and five commemorative benches that will include historical markers detailing significant dates for the site.
“What we did with this design is tried to take some cues from the history of the site, for instance the Underground Railroad and the significance of Sugar Creek, and incorporate that into the park and its elements,” said Eric Walker, HWC landscape architect.
It was suggested that designers include a separate historical marker about Wooden, who worked tirelessly with children both through her job at the welfare department and at the rec center that once stood on the property. Wooden also was known for leading classes in cooking and sewing and for her efforts to instill civic duty and pride in the neighborhood.
“There are points in here that allude to the history in a way that let’s you take it in without it being so forefront,” Walker said. “We wanted to keep it a space that respects the history, but is also playful and fun for families and the children.”
Crawfordsville Mayor Todd Barton said city and community leaders are committed to improving the local parks, and is especially grateful to Bethel AME Church members for their involvement in the project as well as their long-standing role in the neighborhood.
“This location has obviously been a huge gathering place for the community for years and years and years,” Lueken said. “And hopefully this design will allow you to continue that forward.”
