Deming Park Disasters
The pool had to be bailed out. The train’s not running again. Several of the big old trees that gave the park its character lie twisted and scattered. So far, it’s been a tough year for Deming Park.
While surveying the damage recently, we expressed sadness to a fellow gawker. “It’s just how Mother Nature is,” she said cheerily.
True, you can’t control the weather, but unfortunately, the problem at Deming Park goes beyond this summer storm. It’s a lack of nurture in the form of planned management, not the fault of nature.
The pool story got reported as a feel-good example of Terre Haute folks coming forward to help in a crisis. How the park system is managed as a public resource has yet to be examined carefully. When Superintendent Eddie Bird recommended the park board close the pool permanently, the board automatically complied. However, once the Vigo County Council and private donors came forward with funds to save the Deming Park pool, the board quickly reversed its days-old decision.
In the first instance, they failed to question Bird or explore other options for financial support. Then, they latched on to a quick fix. Neither the board nor the superintendent showed any inclination toward planning. That’s more dangerous to the park than the winds of Mother Nature.
Another park amenity is “the Spirit of Terre Haute.” For at least the past two years, this little train has also been plagued by maintenance problems. However, just three years ago, TH Parks and Recreation announced a plan developed by Rose Hulman students to expand and enhance the train ride. Two corporations, Indiana Rail Road and Clabber Girl, were reported as interested in helping to finance the project. Seemed like a good idea all round. What happened?
Who knows?
If Parks and Recreation can’t even keep a miniature train engine running, it’s a moot point to imagine them able to cope with an expansion. The department seems to prefer shrinking the amenities offered at Deming Park.
Which bring us back to the park’s population of trees, decimated by a severe storm, but suffering from a lack of management before that event. Examining the trees – both toppled and still standing – reveals another kind of maintenance that’s been deferred. Signs of an unhealthy tree aren’t that challenging to spot. Missing bark is an indicator of decay, and swellings on the trunk show advanced decay. Limbs with missing bark and bare branches are also telltale signs of trouble.
Parks and Recreation is run like most segments of Terre Haute government: without foresight or oversight. Bad management is not an act of nature.
Terre Haute used to have an urban forester. Although primarily responsible for the trees lining city streets, the job description included “assist[ing] the other departments with landscape and urban forestry needs.” Sheryle Dell most recently held the position, but she was fired in June. Was it because she wasn’t fulfilling her duties, or because she was advocating for more to be done? Did the city feel they could dispense with this position because a private company, Davey Resource Group, had started surveying the trees, so money could be saved by eliminating the urban forester?
Again, who knows?
While city officials often tout how our park system can attract business, no one seems pro-active in ensuring that Deming Park continues to be an asset.
Parks and Recreation is run like most segments of Terre Haute government: without foresight or oversight. Bad management is not an act of nature.
As we were putting some finishing touches on this post, we came upon an article by Sue Loughlin in the Terre Haute Tribune–Star reporting on a new organization formed to review city and county operations. In theory, that’s a great idea – just the kind of oversight we’re advocating. In practice… we won’t hold our breath. This group is composed of people who’ve had years – in some cases decades – as part of the Terre Haute establishment. The headline promises a bold initiative. But then, a quote from Paul Thrift seems telling. He says Terre Haute Competes work might result in public confidence that “what the mayor has been telling us is exactly true.” That doesn’t much sound like any change in the status quo, does it?
Thrift asserts that the consultants the organization hired as their first step toward getting to the bottom of things “have a deep understanding of our community.”
Turns out that Faegre, Baker Daniels is a multi-national law and lobbying firm. It does have an office in Indianapolis, and there is a remote chance that an employee could commute from Terre Haute. But a deep understanding? Seriously?
Well, maybe we’re just too darn negative. Maybe this is finally a solution to problems that plague local government budgeting. Maybe Terre Haute Competes will be able to get the train running on time.
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About The Author
Lucinda
Lucinda Berry was born in Terre Haute, got a B.A. in English from Indiana State University, studied in Oxford, England, and worked in Shimonoseki, Japan and traveled a good deal in Asia, got an M.A. in Linguistics from Indiana University, and eventually ended up back in Terre Haute. Her favorite place in Terre Haute is the Swope Art Museum. If she happened to be there when a fire broke out, she would rush to save Jack Levine’s “A Joy Forever.”
I just came across this article and would say that it is still relevant. I operate the train at Deming Park. It’s broken down on me several times. My interest in Deming Park and the Spirit of Terre Haute has grown substantially since I began operating the train and am distrubed by the lack of interest by city officials for its mainteneance and well-being. I am wondering if the author of this article is still around.
This is part of the reason I will be happy to move away from here shortly. I have lived here 60 years and it just continues to deteriorate. There are a few things going on but it mostly centers around ISU.
The train has always been a focal point of the park and its popularity has stood the test of time so it is with sadness I hear this news other disppointing news bout Deming Park. Its a place I spent half of my childhood enjoying.
No City Park makes money. That is not what they are there for. How much money does Deming, Dobbs, Collett, etc. bring in. Now how much do they cost. That’s what i’m trying to get at. The courses do bring in money, but no City Park makes money.
Right. They are there for the community to use. Yes, the golf courses bring in money, but not nearly as much as is put into them.. If the city would put as much into city pools as they do the golf courses, everyone would be happy…not just golfers.
This seems so typical of Terre Haute. It was a sad, tired town when I was at ISU in the 80’s and when I moved back here last year, it was still the same, tired and sad. My grandparents owned the Pittsburgh Paint store on Locust back in the 60’s and it was old, sad, and tired then too. No cheeriness or hopefulness anywhere.
The golf courses are not losing money. They are the only parks that bring in money. What they bring in is then doled out to the other parks. Why people can’t see that is beyond me.
Documents on the city website show three separate budget lines: Parks and Recreation, Rea Park and Hulman Links. Each of these includes separate receipts. Those not associated with the golf courses would include rental fees for the shelters or the pool, fees for Torner classes, daily pool use, and so on. For example, these receipts for 2014 were $423,848. In comparison, Rea Park receipts were $550,000 and for Hulman Links $440,000. During that same year, the budget approved for Rea Park was $677,724 and for Hulman Links, $891,000. These figures seem to indicate that the golf courses are not paying for themselves.
I admit I do not know a lot about this, but it has been said that the pool was costing the city money to operate. But isn’t it true the city golf courses have been operating at a loss for quite some time? So why do we decide to keep the golf courses at city expense and have to rely on public donations to open the pool?
This is a reasonable question! Are the golf courses more prestigious? More amenable to corporate use? A potentially profitable piece of the public park system if leased to a private enterprise? We suggest you attend the next TH Parks Board meeting (August 17th; 4:30 at Torner Center in Deming Park) and ask how the priorities are determined. They have to allow for public questions at the end of regular business. Also, keep an eye on the new Terre Haute Competes organization because it sounds as if they are strongly representing business interests more so than local kids who want to cool off.