16-03-2025
Tribune-Star Editorial: Parks investments are solid in an uncertain time
Terre Haute and Vigo County have a niche that can offer the community national distinction.
And it is one worth trumpeting and enhancing. Fortunately, the latter is already happening. Several parks investments were detailed in multiple separate stories in Friday's Tribune-Star by reporter David Kronke.
Few American places have the scope, variety and aesthetics of the Terre Haute and Vigo County parks. That is not just an idle boast. Outside entities recognize the community's commitment to its outdoors facilities.
Only 31 other U.S. cities have as many parks per capita as Terre Haute, according to the 2024 Best Small Cities in America rankings by the personal finance website, WalletHub. That's a glowing statistic, considering those rankings include more than 1,300 towns across the country. The parks element is just one sub-category among many, and the combination of that and other quality-of-life variables used in WalletHub's calculation — from housing costs to school-system quality, to the crime rate and more — left Terre Haute with a lowly overall ranking of 1,128th.
Clearly, parks represent Terre Haute's and Vigo County's forte.
In fact, the 2019 Best Small Cities rankings put Terre Haute and its parks (including the Vigo County parks) in an even loftier spot — No. 1 in America in parks per capita, tied with 10 other towns.
That reality not only enhances residents' lives but can also invigorate Terre Haute's economy. The local trails and parks — from the wildlife and hiking at Wabashiki Fish and Wildlife Area to the sporting challenges of Griffin Bike Park; Deming Park's 18-hole disc golf course, Oakley Playground and Spirit of Terre Haute train; Fairbanks Park's Wabash River vistas and festival spaces; Brittlebank Park's popular pickleball courts; the busy skatepark at Voorhees Park (Indiana's second-largest); and the handy amenities of neighborhood parks like Maple Avenue Nature Park, and George and Ida Smith Park in Prairieton — can help entice potential employers, employees and young families to make Terre Haute and Vigo County their home.
Improvements to the parks are coming, as the news reports indicated.
This week, county parks staff busily worked at Griffin Bike Park, where a grant from Health First Indiana — a state public health initiative — is funding construction of a pro shop for vendors, community space that can be rented for events and a park manager office. In December, Vigo Parks Superintendent Adam Grossman and the county commissioners signed a contract for $1 million with Strode Construction, low bidder on the project.
Also this week, the Terre Haute City Council re-appropriated American Rescue Plan Act (or ARPA) funds — a step necessary to keep funded projects moving forward — that will cover renovations to Rea Park ($1.38 million), Herz-Rose Park ($2.26 million) and Deming Park's pool ($2 million).
And, an effort by Mayor Brandon Sakbun's Youth Council to raise $35,000 for playground equipment at Coy Park — an urban greenspace at 16th Street and Barbour Avenue — got a boost 10 days before a deadline to get matching funds. Indiana American Water donated $10,000 toward the cause. The Youth Council must raise $35,000 to qualify for a matching grant through the Indiana Housing and Community Development Authority.
As Indiana American's company director Justin Schneider said of the decision to donate to the Coy Park project, 'We've really tried to take the approach of making contributions to a community that's going to make a difference.'
Indeed, Terre Haute and Vigo County can make a difference in its future by maintaining and developing its distinctly strong parks. They are a reason to choose this community as a place to live, work and play.
