September 14, 2022- The Greater Decatur Chamber of Commerce held its business breakfast at the Decatur Club, where Clay Gerhard, executive director of the Decatur Park District presented the Park District’s master plan.
Gerhard has served with the Park District for over 20 years. Prior to becoming executive director, Gerhard was Director of Operations at the Park District.
Gerhard began his presentation with a look at the numbers of guests per park, this past summer.
There were roughly 44, 500 guests at Splash Cove. A total of 33,000 rounds of golf were played. The Devon Lakeshore Amphitheater saw 65,000 visitors, while Scovill Zoo saw 70,000.
Following a recap of the impact the Park District had on the Decatur community this past summer, Gerhard detailed plans for improving Decatur’s parks.
The master plan includes six new sculptures being added to the Scovill Sculpture Park, electric surfboards for use on Lake Decatur, a solar panel system on the Decatur Indoor Sports Center, and additional bike paths. Lake Decatur could also see pontoon boat and jet ski rentals in the next four to five years. The Park District has plans for Chandler Park development that will see lake front housing.
Scovill Zoo is also expecting major additions and expansion projects. Some new Scovill Zoo exhibits include an otter exhibit and expansion of the alligator exhibit by digging a well so the gators have more room to swim. Gerhard also discussed a plan for better accessibility at the petting zoo.
In terms of Overlook Adventure Park, there are discussions about adding electric go karts to help increase the teen to young adult demographic.
All of these projects offer the opportunity for sponsorship and partnerships of local organizations.
Gerhard spoke about the Park District’s mission, and how he believes the master plan can continue to achieve those goals.
“The mission of the Park District is to to enrich our community’s quality of life, health & wellness, education, and economic vitality by providing outstanding parks, facilities, and recreational opportunities, and that really drives everything we do throughout our master plan,” Gerhard said.
To view the Park District’s masterplan, CLICK HERE.
