Editor’s note: This is an extended version of the story in October/November 2025 Evansville Business.
Two years after the adoption of a master plan for city parks, residents are enjoying the results of completed initiatives while officials refine others.
Results are not carbon copies. “Not all parks are built the same. The size of the park, location of the park, and resident needs all play a role in what each space has to offer,” Parks and Recreation Executive Director Danielle Crook says about identifiable needs and solutions.
Crook estimates that $13 million in projects are done or underway. One of the most prominent finished tasks is the fountain at Garvin Park’s entrance off North Main Street and Heidelbach Avenue, which began operating again in July 2024. (Don’t expect to see the water flowing as cooler temperatures arrive: Crook says all fountains are winterized in October and come back on after the last possible freeze, usually around April 1.)
Playground upgrades also have been a point of emphasis. Crook cites all-new equipment from supplier Midstates Recreation at Stevenson Park on East Cherry Street and Morton Avenue, plus new equipment from builder Landscape Structures at Fulton Park at West Franklin Street and Fulton Avenue. Garvin Park is seeing new restrooms, water fountains, and basketball courts, accessible paths in the park’s northeast corner, and a new playground with unique climbing elements and an electronic game feature. Completion is expected at the end of October.
A city collaboration with the Evansville Latino Center led to another big addition: a futsal court at Stockwell Park. Futsal, played between two teams of five, has some similarities to soccer but is played on a hard surface, and it’s popular among Latino youths.
The partnership started several years ago with conversations between Latino Center President Abraham Brown and former Evansville Police Chief Billy Bolin about ways the police department could better connect with Latino residents. Brown says that Bolin learned at a conference about how old tennis courts were being refurbished for use as futsal surfaces in Los Angeles, California, and other large cities. The COVID-19 pandemic stalled the process, but officials broke ground in late 2023, and Stockwell Park’s court opened in 2024 and is seeing consistent use, Brown says. It’s the newest, officially sized futsal court in Indiana.
“It is concrete but has a special covering that makes it weather resistant,” Brown says. “After a year, it still looks like new, and we use it a lot. … We are about to start our fall league with eight teams, and not all are Latinos. It’s bringing people together like you have no idea.”
As reported in August/September 2023 Evansville Business, the five-year master plan commissioned by the Winnecke administration noted the massive size of Evansville’s parks system — 45 parks and 22 special-use properties — and observed a long list of needs at those facilities. City officials spoke of the financial challenge to maintain such a large inventory and cited the need for outside support.
Crook, who has worked in the parks system since 1999 and became executive director as Mayor Stephanie Terry took office in January 2024, says improvements are happening across multiple fronts. Not all are visible: Swonder Ice Arena’s heating and air conditioning is being replaced, and golf courses are getting new irrigation systems, for example.
Crook cites new lighting on the Pigeon Creek Greenway Passage near the old Lamasco Skatepark, with a $22,950 AARP grant the funding source. On the East Side is the addition of a trail connecting Downtown to Wesselman Park through the Evansville State Hospital grounds. The project is in its second phase, and Crook says the finished path will go through the former Roberts Municipal Stadium land and the park on State Hospital property, then connect to the new Walnut Street Multi-Use Trail.
Other maintenance includes parking lot repairs, smaller improvements for pools, and hazardous tree removal — “all things that you’d consider small in the grand scheme of things but they’re ultimately big,” Crook says. However, the future of 66-year-old Hartke Pool on Evansville’s East Side remains unresolved. Terry shut down Hartke shortly after becoming mayor, citing its poor condition, and her 2026 budget proposal to the City Council includes no work at the property.
The department in conjunction with the Evansville Parks Foundation on Aug. 12 announced a capital campaign to replace dated parks signage and landscaping. Goosetown and Stevenson parks have new signs, with 42 remaining. Crook says about 18 thus far are sponsored; she hopes to grow that number — one permanent, customized sign with a landscaped planting bed costs $3,750.
The city wants to maintain communication lines with residents and neighborhood groups about the needs and wishes for its parks, Crook says. “Sometimes, all the neighborhood kids are teens and don’t want playground equipment anymore — (they would) rather have a picnic area or basketball court,” she says. “We connect with residents through park chats and neighborhood meetings. … Listening to the residents helps us make informed decisions and put amenities in place that will be utilized and appreciated.”
Editor’s note: This story was updated on Oct. 24, 2025.
