Black Youth Football Practices In Tarkington Park
The Afternoons with Amos PODCAST For Thursday, September 10, 2015. (Intense In-depth Interview About Tarkington Park Renovations And Fierce Community Pushback Starts At 00:55 Mark On PODCAST Media Player). Representatives of the Indianapolis Parks Foundation and Indy Parks and Recreation ran into a buzz-saw of anger and opposition to plans to renovate Tarkington Park, the seventy year old historic park on the city block bounded by 39th/40th/Illinois and Meridian Streets. The Park’s renovation plans have been in the works for several years with a variety of public meetings to area residents. But its only been now that the bulk of the community has learned about the Parks’s renovation in the wake of a Black youth football team which has practiced in the park for years being turned away or saddled with red tape they’ve never had to have in years. Appearing on Afternoons with Amos to explain the Tarkington Park Renovations were Andre Denman, Indy Park’s Principal Planner and Greenways Manager; Cathy Marx, Regional Parks Manager and Jenny Burrough, Communications Director for the Indy Parks Foundation. The three explained the first phase of Tarkington Park’s renovation which starts with a groundbreaking September 16th. Photo renderings of the initial first phase of construction are shown here:
Layout Of Tarkington Park Renovations / Indianapolis Parks Foundation
New Playground Area In Tarkington Park/ Indianapolis Parks Foundation
Look At Water Spray Plaza and Proposed Cafe In Tarkington Park/ Indianapolis Parks Foundation
The $5 million phase involves the building of a Playground for younger children using new surface that reduces injury, cuts and scrapes. A Water Spray Plaza or people of all ages. Also two half basketball courts. New restroom facilities would be included. The first phase of the renovation is using $1 million raised by the Parks Foundation, $1 Million from a TIF tax district that stretches from 38th and Illinois to Broad Ripple and $3 Million in Rebuild Indy funds. A controversial part of the Park’s renovation won’t be built at this time. That’s a Cafe. Since no developer came forward to build the Cafe, a concrete “pad” will be built to denote its location. Other proposed, but unfunded renovations include a “Dog Park” at the 40th & Illinois corner. Full size basketball courts will remain, along with the existing tennis courts. Denman also indicated that a central feature of the park will be a large open area in the center and east side of the park which would be utilized by the public, including youth groups and teams that wanted to practice. But there would be no space in the park for organized sports competition.
Indy Parks Principal Planner Andre Denman
Indy Parks Regional Mgr Cathy Marx
Jenny Burrough, Indy Parks Foundation
Listener reaction was severe. Not that the 70 year old park didn’t need a facelift, but listeners objected strongly and vociferously to the dog park and cafe proposals. They strongly indicated that the major need for Tarkington Park was programs; organized, supervised programs for the young people that live in the areas. Several listeners strongly believe the renovation plans were designed for the minority of whites that live in the area. Listeners were livid when Ms. Marx explained why Indy Parks wants organized youth groups to register with them. Indicating Indy Parks wanted to do background checks on adults working with those youth. Something the community has never heard about before and raises some First Amendment issues. Initial proposals for the Tarkington Park’s renovation said the City was turning the park into a “regional park” that would draw visitors and users from across the northside. Denman and Marx denied that saying Tarkington was and will continue after the renovations to be a “neighborhood park”. But the guests couldn’t answer some key questions. They didn’t know the project’s general contractor, nor could they provide information on the use of minority-owned sub-contractors and vendors on the project. There was no answer to a direct question from Amos about whether Indy Parks collaborated with the City’s Public Safety team and IMPD about integrating the park’s renovations and programs to meet the needs of the area being one of the city’s major crime “hot spots”. The lack of an answer showed the obvious – there’s been no coordination by Indy Parks with major Indianapolis crime fighting and neighborhood building initiatives, including Your Life Matters. The guests also couldn’t address why the City was plowing ahead with the project when a new Mayor and new Indy Parks Director may want to ake changes after the first of the year. Nor could they explain what other neighborhood road, street and sidewalk repair needs would go unmet because of the $3 million the City’s spending on a very, at least in the Black community, unpopular proposal.
Dave Smalley, FSSA
(FSSA and Food Stamps Folks Talking Some Current And Upcoming Changes Starts At 1:02:52 Mark On Media Player). After the heated discussion on about Tarkington Park, this were more congenial with Dave Smalley, Director of Food Stamps and TANF Programs for the Indiana’s Family and Social Services Administration (FSSA). Smalley appeared on Afternoons with Amos to brief the community about a couple of key changes to Food Stamps. One is the reinstatement of a 1990’s Federal policy that requires “able bodied” food stamp recipients, ages 18 to 49, who have no dependents on their food stamp account, to have to be working to receive the benefits. Smalley talked about work can as little as 20 hours a week. If no job, then the state and their vendor will help with job training, GED classes and other services to help the recipient gain employment. If after three months, there’s no employment, the recipient could lose their benefits. Also, on the evening of Saturday, September 26th and the morning of Sunday, September 27th, recipients of food stamps and TANF will NOT be able to use their Hoosier Works EBT Cards. That’s because the system is changing over to a new vendor and the time is needed to transfer records and files.. There will also be a change in the customer service number and website. The new customer service number STARTING September 27th at 12:30pm will be 1-877-768-5098. And the new website (again after that date/time) will be http://www.ebt.acs-inc.com. The Afternoons with Amos PODCAST For Thursday, September 10, 2015 Runs 94 Minutes. ©2015 WTLC/Radio One. PODCAST Starts After Brief Video Ad.
