Switchyard Park | Southern District Meeting

When:

Tuesday, June 7 | 9:30AM - 3:00PM

Where:

Switchyard Park Pavilion

1601 S. Rogers St.

Bloomington, IN 47403

Thank You For Joining Us!

Join us for a southern district meeting at the City of Bloomington Parks Department's newest park, Switchyard Park. Bloomington Parks Administrator, Paula McDevitt, and panel (Recreation Director Becky Higgins, Switchyard Park General Manager Hsiung Marler, Working Foreperson Maggie Tull, and Operations/Development Division Director Tim Street) will discuss what it takes to build a park of its magnitude (65-acres), how and where it fits into their park system, and the challenges and successes of the project.

About Switchyard Park:

Switchyard Park is a 65-acre park located on the city's south side. The park is a culmination of decades of planning, as both city leaders and residents saw the potential of an abandoned railroad switchyard to become a destination park for people of all ages and abilities. Completed in November 2019, Switchyard Park at the onset required substantial remediation of coal ash and cinders, the result of the property's historic use as a railroad switchyard. Bloomington citizens had unprecedented input into the creation of the park, and into the selection of park amenities. The park straddles the city's B-Line Trail, a 3.1 mile former railroad corridor that provides an avenue for transportation to and from the park and surrounding neighborhoods, and for economic development in the form of restaurants, housing, art galleries, and other businesses. Park amenities include basketball, bocce, and pickleball courts, a community garden, the Pavilion indoor event space, an outdoor performance stage, the Community Foundation Switchyard Plaza Spray Pad, picnic shelter, skate park, 4.7 acre dog park, public restrooms, and more.

Agenda:

9:30AM - 10:00AM | Sign-In & Networking

Network with your fellow members while waiting to hear the story of Switchyard Park.

10:00AM - 12:00PM | Switchyard Park Story

Listen to Bloomington Parks Administrator, Paula McDevitt, and panel (Recreation Director Becky Higgins, Switchyard Park General Manager Hsiung Marler, Working Foreperson Maggie Tull, and Operations/Development Division Director Tim Street) as they tell the story behind Switchyard Park from start to finish.

12:00 PM - 1:00PM | Lunch & Networking

Network with your fellow park professionals while enjoying lunch.

1:00PM - 3:00PM | Guided Park Tour

Come with us on a guided tour to see the beauty of Switchyard Park.

Thank you, Bloomington Parks, for hosting!