Miller Showers Park close to completion

The construction between College Ave. and Walnut St. has looked more like a giant sandbox rather than a storm water treatment park since construction began. When the Miller Showers Park project started in April 2002, an idea of turning the existing park into an environmentally friendly space and beautiful public place seemed far down the road. \nDave Williams, director of operations for Bloomington Parks and Recreation Department, said the park is 80 percent complete and is scheduled to be 85 percent substantially complete by the end of December. \nAccording to the City of Bloomington's Web site, the funding provided by the Parks and Recreation Department's 2001 $6.2 million bond for park improvements, which was passed with unanimous support of the Board of Parks Commissioners and Common Council, will aid in the construction of what the park will be when completed.\nThe future Miller Showers Park will have many benefits for Bloomington and the community when it is completed. According to the Bloomington Web site, the park will serve as a regional storm water detention facility which drains over 190 acres of surface water (mostly from downtown Bloomington). Plus, the city will be proactive in preparing for the regulations set by Rule 13 of the Clean Water Act, which will require communities to include storm water engineering technology for environmental compliance.\nJulie Ramey, community relations manager for Bloomington Parks Department said most people only experience the park from their vehicles, but with the new changes at Miller Showers Park this will change. The new park will include the removal of intrusive overhead electrical lines and the inclusion of a native landscape theme, will make the Park more aesthetically pleasing with seasonal changes in color and different plant heights, shapes and textures. Plazas with benches will surround the "Red, Blonde, Black and Olive" statue and the limestone "Axis" statue.\nBoth sculptures will be accessible to park users via a connecting pathway. Williams said the pathway running through the park will be put in next week, weather permitting. \n"What we have to do next year is the planting of trees, and F.A. Wilhelm has to plant the native plants and grasses," he said. "The only thing that would hold the planting of the trees and what not would be if the weather was not right for the plants to flourish." \nThe park is also designed for safety. Pedestrian crossings at street intersections will be improved to allow safe access to the park. Low level, full cutoff light features will highlight water features and make the area safer for users. \nRamey said the area will be an attractive area once it is completed. \n"People say that it is not very attractive right now and they are right because there has been some major construction done," she said. \nNot only will Miller Showers Park serve as a water facility, but it will also serve as an outdoor classroom. The natural process of storm water management and treatment will be highlighted with interpretive signage that will help individuals and school groups understand the environmental complexity and purpose of the Park. The park's pond and its native plants will create homes for wildlife and outdoor learning resource of greater interest than the mowed lawn that existed prior to the renovation. Williams said everyone involved in the project is dedicated to finishing the project by the first of 2004. \n"Everyone's goal is to get the project substantially complete before the winter weather sets in and prohibits anymore work to be done."\n-- Contact staff writer Mike Malik at mjmalik@indiana.edu.