Bloomington seeks public input on design for Building Trades Park

Right now, Building Trades Park on West Second Street is mostly open space, but in the future, the park could contain pickleball courts, a plaza and a native prairie.

The city is in the process of collecting feedback on a proposed design for the 2-acre park across the street from where the IU Health Bloomington Hospital used to be.

The plans harken back to the site's history as an active stone quarry and mill in the late 1800s once served by the Monon Railroad. The design incorporates limestone blocks and rail elements as well as interpretive signs.

The preliminary master plan was produced by Mader Design, a landscape architect in Beech Grove, Indiana. Bloomington Parks & Recreation director Tim Street said the preliminary plan is available online at https://shorturl.at/npQT4 for public viewing and comment.

Jeff Mader said around 20 to 30 people have already provided input on the proposed plans for the park. He said planning was now “at about the 60% point. We have a lot of decisions still to be made.”

Questions and comments at recent meeting were generally supportive and ranged widely, from the placement of playgrounds to the noise of pickleball players.

“The top of my list — it’s a neighborhood park,” Patrick Murray said in support.

Theresa Malone, a longtime resident near the park, said, “I’m excited about what I see.” She was happy to see that the two playgrounds at Building Trades Park could be moved closer together, to help her “keep track of the kids” — her grandsons age 7 and 13.

According to the Parks & Recreation Department, the park was named Building Trades Park “because it was established with help of local union workers.”

Comments are being accepted through Jan. 12, 2024 at https://shorturl.at/fjz39

This article originally appeared on The Herald-Times: Plans for updating park on West Second Street in Bloomington