A temporary fence is in place along the eastern shore of Center Lake where a shoreline stabilization project is taking root. Eventually, the city plans to construct a boardwalk that will connect much of the park’s shoreline. It is one of many changes happening at Center Lake Park. InkFreeNews photo by Dan Spalding.

By Dan Spading
InkFreeNews

WARSAW – It may not look like it, but Center Lake Park in Warsaw is in peak evolution mode right now.

One year after finishing work on the North Buffalo Street plaza – just west of the Center Lake beach – the city has a handful of other significant changes in the works in the immediate area that will blossom in the coming months and next few years.

Here is an update:

• A kayak kiosk at Center Lake (Pike Lake also has one.) recently became operable and is believed to be the first of its kind in Indiana that allows the public to rent kayaks by the hour with the use of an app.
• Another kiosk for paddleboards (from the same company) will be available within weeks at Pike Lake and next year at Center Lake.
• Construction of new pickleball courts will begin next week and could be done in about a month. The existing tennis courts will be revamped to include four pickleball courts alongside two remaining tennis courts. The other courts are at Kelly Park.
• A major renovation of Center Lake Pavilion is also progressing. The kitchen and restrooms (interior and exterior) will be relocated and the new design will allow for two separate events at the same time. The north side of the building will be reconstructed to provide a view of the lake. The city hopes to open bids in July. Construction could take six to eight months to complete.
• Construction of a new parks office and maintenance hub at the corner of Indiana and Fort Wayne streets is underway and should be complete by March 2023. The future facility includes 6,230 square feet of space with a second-floor storage area that can be used for office expansion in the future.
• Plans are progressing for a boardwalk that will stretch from the Buffalo Street redevelopment all the way east to the boat ramp. The city will soon hire an engineer, and seek bids in January. The beach will be reconstructed as part of the project.
• A shoreline stabilization project east of the beach is now complete. A temporary fence will remain up this summer to allow vegetation to take root, It was paid for with stormwater revenues. The city has sought to improve the shoreline for years, but now has money available through the city’s stormwater revenues.
  
• North Buffalo Street Plaza – west of the beach – which includes a splash pad, gazebo and artwork, opened more than a year ago.
• The first move in a series of changes came almost two years ago when the lake’s boat launch was moved from the west end to a spot along North Detroit Street.

Parks Superintendent Larry Plummer said the changes are among the best in his 38 years of work with the city parks department.

“In the last 10 years, we’ve really focused on our lakes and how to enhance and use our lakes and I think this is a great example. We have the beauty of nature there and we want our park patrons to enjoy it and use it, and that’s what all these projects do,” Plummer said.

The projects are being financed through various sources:

• The kayak kiosks were paid with money from the county innkeeper’s tax and approved by the Kosciusko County Convention, Recreation and Visitor Commission.
• The paddleboard kiosk is paid from another budgeted fund.
• The pickleball courts will be paid with money from a K21 Health Foundation grant and park department money.
• Pavilion renovation is planned with a sizable donation and city money.
• Funding for some of the new office cost is being budgeted, but the city could still use a bond to finance it after a few years, Plummer said.

The improvements mark the biggest change since the adjacent Central Park was developed 30 years ago.

Parks Board President Steve Haines remembers decades ago when there was a junkyard on the shores of Center Lake. And he relished playing ball at the old softball parks where Central Park has taken shape.

“I hated to see that go,” he said of the ball diamonds. “But now I gotta admit that a lot more people enjoy that park now than then. I see it getting better and better all the time.

He said he thinks the renovated pavilion will be much more user-friendly and says the future office has been needed for many years.

“That park gets used a lot and I think it will be used a lot more when we’re done,” Haines said.

Plummer was asked if juggling numerous projects at the same time is difficult.

“You gotta manage a few more projects, but we’re up to the task. When the donations and funds are there, you just put in the extra time to make it happen,” Plummer said.

Moving the boat launch to a site along North Detroit Street was the first change made to accommodate changes at Center Lake Park. Parks superintendent Larry Plummer said the change makes it easier to access and has made it more popular. InkFreeNews photo by Dan Spalding.