Shanise Kemp, (l-r), Cynthia Carpenter, and Carol Smith

Lobster & Seafood Night at Marquette Park, other Gary pavilion doors closed

Contributed By:The 411 News

The lack of a quorum to conduct park business allowed residents to have the floor to voice their concerns and complaints at Tuesday's meeting of the Gary Board of Park Commissioners.

Carol Smith, who heads the Friends of Marquette Park, asked about seasonal golf cart permits and buoys along the Miller Beach lake shore. Marquette Park Pavilion Manager Kamishia Jackson announced the start this week of the facility's Lobster & Seafood Night with cash bar and entertainment.

Eric Reaves, executive director of the Dept. of Public Parks said, "We're trying to get where we are adequately staffed for Miller Beach."

Two-way radios were purchased for lifeguards and beach staff so they don't have to rely on cell phones. A grappling hook was purchased to shoot into the water for lifesaving that was recommended by the Gary Fire Department. Lifeguard stations are being fortified.

A Ford F-150 was purchased for beach patrol to pull safety equipment.

The Tolleston Park Pavilion didn't have heat when the Northwest Indiana Bid Whist Club held their last meeting, said club president Ruby James. "Fortunately, some of our fan club and donors were cooperative. They brought in portable heaters from home and we kept our coats on."

The stove didn't work; a leaky refrigerator required constant mopping of the floor. For the pavilion rental fee of $350, James said, "I don't understand why we can't have equipment that works, and heating and cooling if necessary."

That was January 2020 when the Bid Whist Club met at Tolleston. Looking to rent the facility in 2021, now that the COVID-19 pandemic is easing, James said, "People don't know when Tolleston will reopen."

Cynthia Carpenter came to talk about the Ambridge-Mann Pavilion and the parks.

"They look like the pits. We all live in Gary. Miller is Gary. There is no such thing as Miller Indiana," Carpenter said. "Ambridge-Mann has been hit 2 times, if not more. Nobody has put up a barrier just to keep cars from hitting it. I think the city can do better."

Carpenter said she tried to rent Ambridge during the winter and was told, "We don't have any heat. You can rent it in the summer because we have air conditioning."

Park Board Commission president Rev. Dwight Gardner described the challenges pavilions face. "We fix the air-conditioning system; they steal the compressor. We put up lighting; they steal the wiring. Over and over again, we keep spending money on things we've repaired."

"Gary has one park for each of its 50 square miles," Rev. Gardner said, "and we have the resources to adequately take care of between 6 and 8 of those facilities. The money is simply not there. We are trying to identify one major facility per district we can maintain, make it comfortable and inviting."

Reaves said it would take a maintenance staff of 25 for all of Gary's parks; currently the staff number is 7.

The reason why Marquette Park in Miller is thriving, Rev. Gardner said, is because of the Friends of Marquette Park. "It is a group of people who committed themselves to Marquette Park and developed an organization. They seek grants, organize fundraisers and give money out of their own pockets for the development of ideas they have for that area."

Gardner said that model could fit anywhere in town.

"It's a good idea, but that won't fit with the community I live in. What's needed is something for the entire city," said Shanise Kemp. Kemp, a university student, had encouraged James and Carpenter to attend the meeting.

"I can corral our community. But the social economics are not the same. It would be difficult for us to give money then volunteer our time. We need the city's buy-in," Kemp said.

"I know you can't do it alone. As the city, we are committed to be your partner," Reaves said.

"I encourage you to meet with Carol Smith. Then meet with us to see what we can do in your community," Reaves said. "It's a partnership between your councilperson, your organization, and the Park Department."

Smith said the Friends of Marquette Park was started after the Regional Development Authority provided the funds for the restoration of the park's grounds and pavilion. The RDA set the cost at $28 million.

"Our biggest concern was the city wouldn't maintain it and that's what happened. The RDA wouldn't allow the city to set aside a fund for operations and maintenance. It could only go to stuff, not people. So how could you maintain it? That's how the Friends got started," Smith said.

Reaves asked for patience. "We're down to the bones after more than 20 years of neglected maintenance. I get you and I'm with you. Give us a little bit of time and you'll see the difference."

Reaves said pavilions have another challenge. "If there were 8 pavilions, for 7 of them the rental fees were not coming into city coffers. We could not track where the money was going. It was going off into never land."

Pavilion rental fees should have gone for upkeep, Reaves said. "Instead, the city was paying for all utilities and repairs. So what we did last summer was lock them all down for an assessment."


The banquet room in Marquette Park Pavilion

Story Posted:04/16/2021