A Year of Growth and Community Impact 

In 2024, Indy Parks witnessed immense progress and growth. We saw the completion of major projects including the new Frederick Douglass Park Family Center, renovated Krannert Park Family Center, and new playgrounds across the city. Our staff provided new programs, expanded summer camp capacity, launched a new website, and much more.  

Expanding Access and Engagement 

• Parks and facilities: Indy Parks now manages 217 parks, encompassing over 11,000 acres, 130 playgrounds, and 153 miles of trails. 
• Improving Technology and Access to Parks: Free public Wi-Fi was installed in 27 park locations to expand programming and community use.  
• New website: Our new website was launched in early 2024 and offers user-friendly navigation, multilingual access, information about parks and programming, online scholarship applications and much more. The site reached over 200,000 visitors in the first nine months after it launched.  

Major Capital Projects 

• Krannert and Frederick Douglass Family Centers: The department opened two state-of-the-art family centers, enhancing community access to recreational facilities. The Frederick Douglass Family Center is the largest in the Indy Parks system and has already seen over 22,000 youth basketball court users in the first 6 months in addition to dozens of other programs. The upgraded Krannert Park Center has provided space for new programming, an indoor pool for year-round use with an outdoor splash pad, and a weightlifting and fitness room. Both projects were funded by the Circle City Forward Initiative, which provided $45 million of city funding for major park projects.  

• Riverside Adventure Park: Phase 1 construction is wrapping up this winter with new ADA trails, shelters, and a playground. The park will open to the public in early 2025.
  • Planned phase 2 improvements will include an archery range funded by a $6.8 million grant which is expected to break ground in late 2025 or early 2026. Initial design planning for the Phase 3 Riverside Nature Center also began in late 2024.

• Grassy Creek Playground and Environmental Community Center: With a scheduled opening in early 2025, this exciting expansion of Grassy Creek Regional Park is wrapping up major construction this winter as well. It will boast a new playground larger, even, than the newly completed one at Frederick Douglass Park, and an Environmental Community Center that will provide nature and environmental education programming as well as space for community events. 

• Washington Park: Groundbreaking for $3.5 million in renovations, including a new playground, splash pad, and event spaces. Funding for the project came from the Lilly Endowment Grant.  

• Garfield Park: In partnership with the Friends of Garfield Park, we broke ground on renovations on the Garfield Park Sunken Gardens Fountains this summer. A historic aspect of the city’s oldest park, this project will ensure that the Sunken Gardens will be enjoyed by residents for decades to come.

• Holliday Park: Initial construction began in December on the new Holliday Park playground. The $5.5 million project includes funding from the Lilly Endowment and donations to the Holliday Park Foundation and will replace the previous playground that was built in 1992.

• Wes Montgomery Park: A new basketball pavilion opened in November featuring lights, two full size and two half basketball courts. The $2.7 million project was funded by the American Rescue Plan.  

• American Rescue Plan Playgrounds: The City of Indianapolis dedicated $16.7 million in ARPA funding to renovate more than two dozen playgrounds at medium and small sized parks across the city. The majority of these playgrounds were completed in 2024, including Porter Playfield shown below. The remaining projects are scheduled for completion in the spring and summer of 2025. Along with Lilly Endowment Grant projects, these efforts will result in more than 40% of Indy Parks playgrounds being replaced by 2026. More information about the ARPA playgrounds is available here.  

Recreation and Programming 

• Aquatics: This summer our aquatics team opened 14 pools, many of which were opened earlier in the season than in 2023. This increased revenue by over $60,000 while also offering expanded no-cost community swim hours. Our staff also offered swim lessons and swim team programs at 9 pools. 

• Day Camps: Served 4,186 campers, a 17.5% increase from 2023. We also utilized our full scholarship budget to lower enrollment costs for families. New programming included STEM activities and bike-building workshops. 

• Programming the biggest events in Indianapolis: 
  • Eclipse: In April, Indianapolis was in the line of totality for a total solar eclipse for the first time in over 800 years. Indy Parks hosted Eclipse viewing parties at parks across the city.  
  • USA swimming: In June, Indianapolis hosted the USA Olympic Swimming Trials for the 2024 Summer Olympics. Indy Parks hosted community swim days, partnered with Indiana Sports Corp to offer free tickets to summer lifeguards, and supported swim lesson programs to increase the number of residents who know how to swim and safely interact with water. 
  • Taylor Swift Concerts: One of the city’s biggest events of the year came with the final United States stop of Taylor Swift’s Era’s tour in November. Like many others, Indy Parks got in on the fun with programming tying into Swift’s music and style.   
• Critical and Innovative Programs: 
  • Bike Ride Series: Showcased parks and trails in partnership with Bike Indy.

• Arts: Classes in clay and wire sculpture funded by ARPA grants, with permanent art installations in Windsor Village Park.
• Environmental Education: Expanded offerings and began planning for the opening of the with the upcoming Grassy Creek Environmental Community Center in early 2025. 

• Food Security: Served over 133,000 meals across summer and after-school programs, continuing our status as Indiana’s largest non-school partner in youth meals. 

Partnerships and Community Impact 

Volunteer Contributions 

• More than 4,000 volunteers contributed over 19,000 hours, supporting projects such as mulching 46 playgrounds, repainting 583 picnic tables, and creating 17 murals. 

Collaborations 

• Pacers Sports & Entertainment: Renovated outdoor basketball courts at Fall Creek & 30th Park and Frederick Douglass, with more planned. The Frederick Douglass ribbon cutting was announced with the entire Pacers team as part of their 2024-2025 season kickoff.  

• Major Days of Service: Citizens Energy, Lilly, and AES Indiana provided over $500,000 in improvements and services during days of service in addition to dozens of other community groups who volunteered to help take care of our parks. 

AmeriCorps Initiatives 

• Indy Parks’ first year AmeriCorps members undertook park beautification and trail development projects. 

• Projects have included new landscaping at Indianapolis World Sports Park and Ellenberger Park, beautification at Washington, Riverside, and Grassy Creek Parks, supporting park partner projects including Friends Groups and days of service.   

Achievements and Recognition 

• CAPRA Re-Accreditation: Earned re-accreditation from the National Recreation and Park Association, reflecting national best practices. Indy Parks is one of three departments in Indiana to have CAPRA accreditation. 

Looking Ahead: 2025 Goals 

• Equity Initiatives: Enhance scholarship access and prioritize underserved areas with new programming. 

• Historic Capital Projects: The final ARPA playgrounds and Circle City Forward projects will be completed and open to the public in 2025 while many Lilly Endowment Grant projects will break ground throughout the year.  

• Environmental Focus from Circle City Forward: The Grassy Creek Environmental Community Center and Riverside Adventure Park will open in 2025, furthering access to greenspace and environmental education programming.

• Community Engagement: Expand language access, build on the new Indy Parks website, and continue outreach efforts to ensure parks are inclusive spaces for all. 

2024 was a year of remarkable growth and commitment to serving Indianapolis residents. With continued investment and innovation, Indy Parks is poised to build on this success and continue providing enriching experiences for all. 

*Per City of Indianapolis policy, this citation notes that AI was utilized in the creation of this post.