“We’ve had groups working for the last 12 years to combine the two agencies to create efficiencies, have a better and more consistent work and labor force and to make sure we have no duplication of services,” Leann Castillo, executive director of NTPRD told city commissioners. “With this merger we will have 30 parks and 2,035 acres across Clark County that our residents can benefit from.”
A new name for the combined parks organization is expected to be announced in soon, and it will be overseen by a Board of Park Commissioners appointed by a Clark County probate judge.
Under a contractual agreement, Springfield will serve as fiduciary managers for the new organization in exchange for the services the new parks organization will provide in maintaining the parks and managing recreational activities.
The county voted to dissolve NTPRD, saying in a resolution that it “would be in the best interests of all of the citizens of Clark County.”
County commissioner Melanie Flax Wilt said the merger is a long time coming, and she is excited to have the two entities serve as one once again.
Assistant Mayor David Estrop said the city will retain ownership of park properties within the city.
“I think it’s important to note that even though there is a combination into one authority, all the property that make up the parks owned by the city of Springfield will be retained by the city of Springfield. We are not getting rid of our parks,” Estrop said. “Those remain the property of Springfield as will other parks that may be developed in the future.”
Estrop emphasized the importance of parks and recreation to the community.
“Recreational opportunities are so important for people within a community,” Estrop said. “And we have some quality recreational opportunities here, and we’ve been adding to them. I applaud this move and think it will take us in a very positive direction.”
Castillo said progress is being made on the redevelopment of Davey Moore Park.
“We met with the playground company for the playground at Davey Moore, and they will be starting work next week. We also have a meeting scheduled with the skateboard company that will be installing the skateboard park at Davey Moore,” she told city commissioners.
The playground is to include a boxing theme as a tribute to Davey Moore, the former boxing champion from Springfield.
Work for a pump track at the Sherman Avenue Park is also underway. The pump track provides an asphalt track with banked turns and hills that bikes, scooters and skateboards can use. The asphalt will likely start being installed the third week of April, Castillo said.
The Community Development Department secured Block Grant funding for both the Davey Moore and Sherman Avenue Park projects. The skatepark at Davey Moore is budgeted at a cost of $300,000, and the Sherman Avenue pump track has a budget of $350,000, provided through federal CDBG funding.
The merger transition positions the departments to bring uniform maintenance practices to each of the 30 parks in Clark County, to reduce overlapping services and programs and to create less confusion for park goers.
Collectively, NTPRD and the Clark County Park District manage roughly 2,000 acres of parkland, more than 50 miles of multi-use trails and roads, as well as 12 nature preserves, 164 acres of wetlands and more than 12 miles of river.
The combined park system will also manage the Carleton Davidson Baseball Stadium, the Chiller ice rink, Springfield’s skateboard park and Splash Zone, all recreation hubs currently managed by NTPRD.
The merger was previously slated to be complete in July 2023, but it was delayed when officials said more planning was needed. It was then scheduled to be completed by Dec. 31, but delayed for the consolidation of finances.
The park districts had merged once before.
Starting in 1999, the city of Springfield’s park district and the county’s park district formed a joint park district and had a contract to fulfill their programming and maintenance through the joint district. That move kicked off a 13-year, $17 million capital campaign that included the $6 million Splash Zone Family Aquatic Center, the $2.6 million Carleton Davidson Baseball Stadium and the $8.5 million NTPRD Chiller ice arena.
That combined district was led by two governing boards and two directors. The partnership ultimately split into the Clark County Park District and NTPRD in 2009 because of financial hurdles after several attempts at passing a levy failed.