Shelter house planned in new park district

CELINA - Celina Lions Club members aim to build a 1,500-square-foot shelter house for year-round use in the Bryson Park District along Lake Shore Drive to serve as a community gathering place.

They've recently kicked off a fundraising campaign to make the estimated $400,000 facility a reality by fall 2019.

"Every year we normally do a project, to do something to benefit the community," local Lions Club President Luke VanTilburg told the newspaper, adding members have been setting aside additional money for this project.

"With the Bryson Park District coming on, we thought it was a chance to do a larger project," he said.

Club members agreed an enclosed, shelter house-like facility, similar in concept to the one at Burkettsville Park, would be a welcome addition to the city's parks.

They plan to build the facility near the hot water hole, south of the basketball courts and southwest of the site of the future Harley Jones Rotary Memorial Amphitheater.

"It's kind of in the middle of the parks so whatever event's going on that would be able to be used," club member Gary Hensley added. "We do not have anything in any of the parks that is something that can be used year-round."

The facility would be large enough to host 100 people and be available for community organizations and the general public, the two men pointed out.

"It should make a nice facility that multiple entities can use as well as families," VanTilburg noted.

The facility would house a concession stand - usable for the Sunday night concert in the park series, Lake Festival, Freedom Days and similar events - and restrooms.

"It will also have a kitchenette area, so that way we'll have the ability to have a concession stand so they can serve indoors or outdoors," VanTilburg said.

Also being considered, depending on funding levels, is an attached patio area. Tentative plans call for an all-brick facility with a metal roof.

"We're coordinating with the city to make sure it's aesthetically pleasing to the rest of the park," VanTilburg said.

Club members plan to oversee the construction of the facility once enough funding is secured and then turn over ownership to the city, which would maintain the property and handle scheduling, VanTilburg noted.

Lions Club members are reaching out to the public and looking to partner with other civic clubs and organizations to help pay for the facility. All donations are tax deductible and can be made to the Mercer County Civic Foundation c/o Hot Water Hole Center. A plaque recognizing donors' names is planned for the inside of the shelter house.

"The Bryson Park, that's a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for the city and the community, so we knew we wanted to do what we could to help be a part of it," VanTilburg said.

City officials have a conceptional plan outlining the placement of future amenities but not a final construction blueprint for the newly designated Bryson Park District.

Councilors in April officially established the long-discussed park district, which encompasses Mercelina, Pullman Bay and Lakeshore parks as well as the former Versa Pak and mobile home sites.

A map drawn by Bassett Associates of Lima designates areas of parkland for an amphitheater, fitness trails, five playground areas, entry arches, shelter houses, restrooms, a splash pad and a low-rim basketball court, among other amenities.