By LESLIE EIKLEBERRY
Salina Post
Renovations for a west Salina neighborhood park are the subject of a meeting scheduled for next week by a group of concerned citizens.
"We have been trying to get the City of Salina to do what has been promised for several years with Centennial Park. There are many older residents who were here back in the late 60s when these promises started," Molly Van Auken, Friends of Centennial Park president, told Salina Post.
"The reason for this meeting stems from us meeting with the city and the parks department last month. We were told that Centennial Park is next on the list," Van Auken explained. "Not completely sure what list they are referring to but we want to make sure that all Salina residents, but especially the residents who use Centennial Park, have their voices heard."
The meeting is scheduled for 6:30 p.m. Thursday in the Friendship Center at Centennial Park, 746 Commanche Avenue. For persons who will not be able to attend, an online survey is available at surveymonkey.com/r/TH6LL3S.
Centennial Park includes the following.
●A basketball court
●A playground with swings
●A sand volleyball court
●Two medium-sized shelters
●The community center
●A drinking fountain and restrooms
●A skate park
●A sprayground
According to the Salina Parks & Recreation Master Plan dated July 23, 2018, the condition of the above amenities "is rather tired and in need of updating."
Master plan recommendations for the park include the following.
●Remove old driveways from the south end of the park.
●Upgrade play equipment and surfacing and consider making it a destination playground.
●Improve turf in southern half of the park and remove trees to allow for active play areas.
●Construct a loop trail or perimeter sidewalks.
●Add three to four small to medium size shelters with two to four picnic tables and one large shelter with six to eight tables.
●Remove and relocate the skate park to Kenwood Park.
●Develop pickle ball courts in the area where the skate park is currently located.
Van Auken provided her own list of issues with the park.
She noted that "the skate park is made of unsafe metal ramps and the concrete they sit on contains gaps that catch the skaters wheels causing injuries."
According to Van Auken, "the soccer field mentioned in the master plan as already existing is inaccurate. There are two goals that have been sat in the middle of an uneven area of ground surrounded by trees."
She also expressed concern that the sand in the volleyball court and sand in the playground area has broken glass and debris in it. She noted that the park is mowed only once every three weeks, has four-foot weeds around the perimeter, and has broken limbs that have fallen from past storms. Additionally, Van Auken expressed concern about weak and incorrectly positioned lighting, as well as about homeless men sleeping in the park during the past several months.
Not the first time Centennial Park neighborhood residents have met
In October of 2019, a group of park neighbors met to express concern about the undeveloped southern part of the park being rezoned so it could be used for low income housing.
“Centennial Park was to be renovated years ago. This hasn’t happened yet. Now, city officials want to zone the property for more low income housing homes. We want to hear your voices on this issue. If you live near Centennial Park or visit it frequently please come share your opinion," a flier for the meeting stated.
In an Oct. 7, 2019, interview with Salina Post, City Manager Mike Schrage said that the issue hadn't gotten that far. He said that there had only been a discussion about what might be done with the south end of the park.
"Since the master plan was published, there has been talk by the city commission about using this 2.2 acre area for housing. However, instead of houses being built, an apartment complex would be developed. Citizens within the community held an open meeting and invited the city commissioners, the mayor, and members of the parks department to attend. This meeting ended without resolution," Van Auken told Salina Post.
"Even though this section of the park is undeveloped and hardly maintained, it is still utilized. My children and I use it for flying kites, playing frisbee, catching butterflies, blowing bubbles that span as far as we can see, and so much more. I see people daily utilizing it to play with their dogs, take daily walks, and play a game of soccer with their friends," she explained. "If we are using it this much, I can only imagine how much it would be used if it was improved."