Is new park all for show?

It resembles a Martian crater, but make no mistake about it. The muddy pit north of 17th street between Walnut Street and College Avenue is actually the future home of the Miller Showers Park. \nA project of the Bloomington parks and recreation department, the park will house 225 native trees and a significant amount of native and aquatic vegetation in order to improve storm water quality and drainage. A bike and pedestrian path will allow humans to enjoy the artificially natural ecosystem.\nA great place for the family. Kids love traffic.\nDave Williams, operations director for the department, told the Herald-Times that the finished park will create "an eye-catching entryway to Bloomington." Unfortunately, the project has caught many a sore eye over the past year and a half. The big question: will it ever be finished?\nThe parks and recreation department initiated the first phase of the project in April 2002 with Weddle Brothers Construction Co. (Bloomington). While the company completed much of the initial construction, Wilhelm General Contractors was brought in to complete the second and final phase of the project. Wilhelm, a prestigious firm based in Indianapolis, was only one of a pool of local and out-of-town contractors that offered bids.\nThe project was originally slated to cost roughly $4.7 million -- $2.2 million from the parks department, $1.7 from the utilities department and $775,000 in design costs. The real cost of the park will be around $5 million as the parks portion will likely increase to between $2.5 and $2.6 million, Mick Renneisen -- director of the parks division -- said in a phone interview.\nRenneisen said that his staff conducts weekly meetings with the contractors and that last year's particularly snowy winter played a big role in delaying the completion of a few stages, particularly the pouring of the concrete. The park is currently scheduled to be fully finished in December.\nThe Miller Showers project has come under intense criticism by Republican mayoral candidate Fred Prall, who told the Herald-Times, "It's stated purpose is unbelievable; its size is unbelievable; the costs are unbelievable." Prall's criticism is not entirely unwarranted. Anyone who operates a vehicle in Bloomington knows that storm water drainage is a huge problem. But has the Bloomington utilities department investigated whether the park is the most effective and efficient way to deal with the storm water issue or do they simply want to build a pretty park? Is the $1.7 million investment justified?\nIt would seem that these are crucial questions to be answered. Until the case is made in full, it is reasonable for residents to question the dominantly aesthetic purpose of the park.\nIn the same phone interview, Renneisen urged residents to give the park a chance. "Wait until it's done ... then evaluate," he said. Renneisen is right, we need to give it a chance. But the city also has a lot to prove.