West Side Park Reopens After Months of Tunnel Construction

A newly-renovated Ross Claypool park opened after nine months of construction on the city’s west side Friday.

Park construction started in September in connection to Citizens’ DigIndy project, a 28-mile network of tunnels being built 250-feet below Indianapolis to capture sewage during wet weather.

Because the project required Citizens Energy Group to tear up a lot of the park’s landscape, they offered to upgrade the park in a partnership with Indy Parks.

The renovations include a new basketball court, a freshly paved park entrance and parking lot, and a rain garden for storm water collection.

Director of Indy Parks Linda Broadfoot said the new park will be something for the neighborhood to enjoy for years to come.

“It’s no secret that parks are a really valuable asset when it comes to a neighborhood’s quality of life," Broadfoot said. "They’re an economic engine. They’re a social engagement engine. The environmental benefits from the rain gardens are huge. So for this neighborhood to have that so close by, that’s just a tremendous asset for them to enjoy – for them to benefit from – for many years to come.”

Resident Martha Washington, who attended the ribbon-cutting event with her family and childhood friends, has lived in the area since she was 5 years old.

She said the park will be perfect for hosting the neighborhood’s annual reunion in August.

“This is going to be wonderful for all the people that come," Washington said. "They are going to be so surprised to see all this, and I know they’re going to enjoy it. I love it.”

The park is located on 2300 Howard St. on the city's west side.

Citizens' entire DigIndy tunnel network will be finished by 2025. For more information on the project, visit digindytunnel.com.

We are proud to be part of the reopening of @IndyParksandRec Ross Claypool Park #DigIndy pic.twitter.com/UOBLFP97CN

— Citizens Energy (@citizensenergy) June 24, 2016