Amphitheater tops Celina board's wish list

CELINA - Nearly all members of the newly formed Celina Park Advisory Board at Tuesday night's meeting agreed an amphitheater would be a welcome addition to the city.

About 20 members conducted their first brainstorming session on how to develop eight acres of lakeshore property to be called the Bryson Park District located at the sites of the former Mercelina Mobile Court and Versa Pak building.

Myriad ideas, including a multipurpose community building, a marina and an ice-skating rink, were bandied about but the one idea achieving consensus was an amphitheater.

City council president Jason King, who steered the discussion, now wants the group to discuss the proposals with the public.

"Moving forward it's obviously the wish of the council and everybody in the community to see that space be used for not just the next few years but looking 50, 100 years from now, what we're going to use that for," King said.

Deb Borns suggested a path, perhaps for both walkers and bicyclists, to connect the West Bank walkway and the Coldwater-Celina bike path to the park.

Other ideas included recreation equipment for handicapped children and toddlers, as well as for older children; a splash pad; a flower/herb garden and picnic area; a fountain; more docks; more shelter houses; a marina where people could stay overnight in their boats; paddleboats; more pull-up spots along the lake for fisherman and picnickers; and nice restroom facilities with showers.

Myron Buxton proposed a channel to connect the hot water hole and Pullman Bay.

"Parking, parking, parking," Jonathan Williams of the Lake Fest Committee said.

Mike Bruns said the park needs a good sound system for events.

"We don't want to annoy the residents but you still want people attending those events to hear," he said. "Our sound down there at times can be pretty sketchy right now."

Others stressed the importance of adequate lighting for safety and a surveillance system to combat vandalism.

Randy Bruns suggested a dynamic connection between the park and downtown.

"Because if you really want to change the way the town is perceived, you've got to get people downtown. You can't just get them in the park," he said.

King and mayor Jeff Hazel reiterated that it's going to take some time before the land is developed. Jim Mustard, a grant writer representing the Celina Rotary Club, and others have their sights set on winning a grant of up to $3 million from Frontier Communications to pay for park development.

"The Frontier grant was ... the catalyst for us to start looking at things that potentially they could fund," Hazel said.

The first grant deadline is March 25. Frontier will award $35,000 to 50 applicants, which must provide a $15,000 match. That money would pay for an economic development consultant to assist Celina in developing a more detailed application for future rounds.

"Again, it's not like we're going to turn it around and put a merry-go-round there in the next couple of months, so it's going to be a work in progress," Hazel said.  

"We definitely want to take it slow. We're just wanting to brainstorm these ideas now and get the ball rolling," King said.

J.T. Irmscher of CJ's HighMarks asked whether the park's ultimate purpose is to create something for the people of Celina or to draw more people to the city.

Hazel said the goal is multifaceted, as the grant is intended to spur economics.

"It's a draw for tourism because it does sit on the lake and we want that to be a part of that. We also absolutely want a cornerstone to be what we as a community can use here today," Hazel said.

Some members asked about bringing in a consultant to help shape plans. Hazel said it's critical the group generate its own ideas first.

Hazel said he preferred having the ideas generated locally rather than having a planner come in with preconceived ideas.

City officials have officially closed on the acquisition of the former Mercelina Mobile Court. A large pile of rubble from the demolished former Versa Pak building remains on the South Ash Street parcel. Its owner will not receive final payment until the debris is cleared.

"One of our first steps that we're going to do as a city is we're going to start breaking up some of the concrete pads (at the former mobile court) and we wanted those left because we can use that for riprap," Hazel said.