Dave Workman says the whole thing started as a conversation between friends.
Workman, who runs LPL Financial Services, said he sand Brian Morrill, president of Cass County Title, were walking their dogs together, and they were talking about the kinds of athletic facilities available in Logansport.
“We were talking about the things we’d seen in other cities, and we said somebody needs to do something here,” he said.
That conversation led to other conversations, and somebody made contact with the Mike Huston family, which owns 80 acres north of the Eel River near the center of town.
“We started talking to them about 20 acres, and they got back with us and said they might be willing to donate the whole 80,” Workman recalled.
Workman noted that he and the others involved in the project had been labeled a development group in a news story concerning their efforts.
“I would hate for anybody to get the idea that anyone might be trying to make a profit off of this,” he said. “We’re just friends trying to make something good happen for the city.”
Workman and the others started the discussion talking about sports fields, but now they’re looking at a multi-phase project that could include softball and soccer fields, basketball, volleyball, tennis courts, trails and maybe an amphitheater.
At a committee meeting of the city council on Thursday afternoon, Morrill conceded that all the project amounted to at this point was bare ground.
“It’s not clearly into focus yet,” he said, but he added, “We need to find a way to make this work.”
Morrill and Workman plan to meet next week with a group of community leaders. In the meantime, the city’s park board has given its director, Jan Fawley, approval to begin applying for grants. Fawley noted that the land, appraised at $480,000, could be used as a local match.
“The grants are out there,” she said.
Council members agreed to consider the gift at their next regular meeting June 4. Those gathered for Thursday’s meeting seemed inclined to move ahead.
Councilman Scott Kraud said the city could figure out the details of how to develop the complex later. First, he said, it needed to gratefully accept the gift of land.
“This opportunity doesn’t present itself every year,” he said.
Mayor Mike Fincher said it might not be possible to develop the complex quickly.
“We might have to systematically work in baby steps,” he said. “You might take a million small steps to move one foot.”
Workman agreed that the project might not come together overnight.
“This really has a chance to grow into something,” he said. “It gives us a chance to dream.”
Kelly Hawes can be reached at (574) 732-5155 or kelly.hawes@pharostribune.com
Local News
Council to consider land donation
<b>Proponents concede many details of proposed recreation area still to be worked out</b>
- Local News
-
-
Not forgotten
A plaque in Mount Hope Cemetery near a flagpole dedicated to those from Logansport and Cass County who served in the World War reads: “Let those who come after see that these men shall not be forgotten.”
-
LHS freshmen ace algebra ECA
Logansport High School administrators were “ecstatic” last week over results from the statewide algebra I end-of-course assessment that showed passing marks for all the freshmen who took the exam.
-
Logan man hands Indy 500 winner milk
Logansport resident Dave Forgey remembers listening to the Indianapolis 500 on the radio as a kid while his cousins and siblings would gather for a picnic.
- 2012 Lewis Cass graduation
-
Former LPD officer Leal turns himself in
Former Logansport police officer Carlos Paul Leal was arrested Friday afternoon on charges of theft, and officials Saturday said the counts stem from two separate investigations.
-
9-1-1 dispatchers will soon be able to text
Cass County dispatchers will be able to text callers starting this summer — a move that is reflective of where emergency communication services are heading nationwide.
-
Andersons officials predict consistent demand for corn
Farmers, elevator operators and other business associates joined local officials and community leaders to hear from the company’s president and its ethanol group president about industry progress since the plant was built.
-
Former LPD officer arrested, accused of theft
Former Logansport police officer Carlos Paul Leal was arrested Friday afternoon on two charges of theft, according to information obtained today by the Pharos-Tribune.
-
No jail for driver in fatal hit-and-run
A 25-year-old Logansport man admitted Thursday to leaving the scene of a deadly wreck last year, but he will not serve any time in jail as the result of a plea agreement.
-
Board backs 51 percent spike in utility rates
For Paul Hartman, the issue facing the Logansport Stormwater Management Board is pretty simple.
- More Local News Headlines
-
Air Canada Plane Makes Emergency Landing
Raw Video: 19 Dead in Qatar Shopping Mall Fire
Beryl Makes Landfall on Florida Coast
Service Dogs Help Wash. Soldiers Battling PTSD
Raw Video: Heckler Bursts in on Blair Testimony
Japan Farmers Plant, Seek Radiation-free Rice
UN Blames Syrian Forces for Shelling Houla
Raw Video: Gay Protest Blocked in Moscow
Vatican in Chaos After Butler Arrested for Leaks
Jimmy Carter Endorses Egypt's Election Results
Biden Addresses West Point Graduating Class
Dozens of Children Killed in New Syria Attack
Raw Video: Activists Allege Massacre in Syria
NJ Man Charged With Murder in Death of Patz
Support, Fun for Kids of Fallen Soldiers at Camp
Fugitive Penguin Caught, Returned to Aquarium
50 Years Later, Underground Fire Still Burning
Light Show Transforms Sydney Opera House
Raw Video: Unruly Passenger Restrained in Miami
Raw Video: Robber Uses Drive-thru Window
