By Anna Skinner
The initial master plan for Finch Creek Park was done in 2010, but has since has undergone some changes.
As Noblesville Parks and Recreation began to study the topography of the land to create a more schematic design for the park, they realized they would need a lot of detention of water on the property.
Finch Creek Park was to originally have a large community center and lots of sports fields, which requires parking lots. That construction required hard surfaces, which led to the need for water detention.
The detention took up a lot of the park space, so the parks and recreation department decided to take another look at the design of the park.
Parks Director Brandon Bennett said the plan has changed into more of a village concept.
“With the name of the park and Finch Creek, we are really looking at honoring the heritage of the park,” he said. “We took the big major community center out and we are trying to soften it up.”
Bennett hopes to make the required detention a feature of the park, such as creating a larger pond with a possible boardwalk and paddle boat rentals.
There was also a prospective adventure area to be put into part of the park, such as mountain biking areas, a home for mud races and warrior dashes.
“It’s hard to find somewhere to do that, but out there we have a nature side that has the creek and the woods,” Bennett said. “We’re looking at some built in opportunities as well, such as ramps, that can accommodate all types of events.”
The timeline for the project is still uncertain.
“It’s been a really cool process to have the opportunity to reimagine this,” he said.
Bennett said they are hoping to present it to the parks board around July. He said that most of the progression of the 200-acre park depends on funding.
