The City of Noblesville will host a public meeting to discuss improvements at Seminary Park from 5:30 to 6:30 p.m. Tuesday, August 29 in Rooms A213/A214 of City Hall. Interested community members are invited to help shape the future of Seminary Park, located between 10^th and 11^th streets and Division and Hannibal streets.

The city’s parks and planning departments have worked together to take a fresh look at Seminary Park, its current usage and how to improve the park so that it becomes an even stronger asset moving forward. At the meeting, city staff will go over the research behind the proposed improvements, answer questions and take feedback on what residents would like to see.

“We are excited to share our plan with the public, hear their thoughts and continue forward with the upgrading of Seminary Park. We believe the proposal will increase usage, safety, appearance and programming while honoring the site’s history,” said Noblesville Parks Director Brandon Bennett.

Potential improvements to Seminary Park that will be discussed include:

• Additional trees, benches and picnic tables to create more shaded seating.
• Further exploration and connectivity via a secondary path to wind through the park.
• More vibrant sights, sounds and smells by creating butterfly and sensory gardens.
• Adding lighting with vintage-looking Edison Bulbs to improve safety and illuminate the beauty of the park for activation in the early evening hours.
• Historical signage and other ways to honor our past such as a wrought-iron fence and arched gateway that harkens back to the site of Second Ward School, which was built in 1852 and then reconstructed on-site in 1870 before it too was demolished in 1969.
• Improvements/upgrades to the gazebo.
• The addition of a dog station and bike racks, as well as, an expanded playground.

After receiving feedback, staff will reexamine the plans then complete a formal budget estimate for design, construction and maintenance before bringing the final proposal to the Noblesville Common Council. Bids for construction are expected to be held this winter with construction starting in the spring of 2018.