Friends of Overley-Worman Park

IBJ Podcast: Couple behind Wild Birds Unlimited risked $5.5M to turn golf course into Zionsville nature preserve - Indianapolis Business Journal Jim and Nancy Carpenter explain why they took a chance on buying the most difficult golf course in Indiana and letting it slip back into its natural state.

Very exciting news that clearly demonstrates the that our community’s residents understand the direct link between our high quality parks, trails, and natural areas and our overall quality of life!

Zionsville Parks receives amphitheater donation for Carpenter Nature Preserve An anonymous donor has generously donated funds for a future amphitheater at Carpenter Nature Preserve. This is the first major gift for the Carpenter Nature Preserve that the Parks Department has received since acquiring the land in October of 2023.

POLLINATOR PLANTING POSTPONED
Due to the unhealthy air quality for today we've decided to cancel all programs and activities that cannot be moved indoors. This includes this morning's pollinator planting. New date coming!

Volunteers Needed for Pollinator Planting – 9:30 am on Wednesday June 28, 2023 at OWP!

The Zionsville Parks Foundation was recently awarded a grant that has provided them with over 1,500 native Milkweed plants to plant in our parks!

The Foundation, in partnership with Zionsville Parks and Recreation, is looking for volunteers to help with Milkweed planting at Overley-Worman Park this Wednesday, June 28th, at 9:30 am! There is no minimum age or skill requirement; just willing hands!

Milkweed is one of the most important native pollinator plants as it is the ONLY species that monarch butterfly caterpillars can feed on. If you enjoy seeing Monarch’s in the summer; you have Milkweed (and in some cases, volunteers) to thank!

Please share with your friends; we need as many volunteers as possible! ZPR has asked to remind everyone to bring any sunscreen, water, gloves, or bug spray that you might need. If you have a small shovel or trowel, please bring it as well. Hope to see you there!

“More time spent in parks and green spaces can help individuals fight against mental health issues like depression, anxiety and stress. Making sure that all people have access to parks and outdoor programming is a critical way to increase these positive effects on health and quality of life for your community”

https://www.nrpa.org/our-work/Three-Pillars/health-wellness/ParksandHealth/fact-sheets/parks-improved-mental-health-quality-life/

⚠️⚠️⚠️OWP CLOSED FOR CONSTRUCTION: 12/6 - 12/9⚠️⚠️⚠️
The contractor is bringing some heavy equipment back to the park in order to (hopefully…) finish up construction. As such, OWP will be closed from Tuesday, December 6th through Friday, December 9th. Thanks for bearing with us during this drawn out process; we hope the work will be wrapped up soon. If you have any questions or concerns, please contact the Zionsville Park Director - Jarod Logsdon.

Great to see that our parks remain a budget priority!

During the September 6 Town Council meeting and the September 22 budget workshop, Mayor Emily Styron and department heads shared budget priorities for 2023.

Some of the financial highlights Mayor Emily Styron shared:

*As a result of prudent fiscal management, we have grown our DLGF fund balances by over $6.6 million
*For the past three years, we have created the building blocks that have culminated in this strong financial position
*55% of the overall proposed budget is centered around public safety
*Crowe estimates a 9.3% increase in revenue for 2023. With this, will begin a renewed focus on investing in (1) capital expenditures, (2) community demands and (3) Town personnel.

The mayor's office continues to work with Town Council on the 2023 budget. Here are some of the proposed priorities for the 2023 budget ⬇️

Fall is coming to OW/P!

NOTICE: The Rail Trail south of Starkey Ave will close daily this week during the work day (7a-5p) to complete final grading on the shoulders. The trail will reopen each evening.

VOLUNTEER OPPORTUNITY: Friday May 13 from 4:00 pm - 6:00 pm at Overley-Worman Park.

We are excited to announce a volunteer event: trail maintenance this Friday from 4p-6p (apologies for the late notice – we just learned of this yesterday). Volunteers will use hand tools to prep the trails. The best part is the volunteers will get to ride the trails to break them in once the work is done!

Additional information and the registration form are here: https://www.zionsville-in.gov/Activities/Activity/Detail/Community-Service-Days-Mountain-Bike-Tra-333

Zionsville, IN Community Service Days - Mountain Bike Trail Work

On this , we hope you’ll consider supporting FOWP! Visit the link below to donate today!

https://www.owpfriends.org/getengaged

The deer are here: how many can you spot?

The world has changed over the last 6 months; parks will too!

A More Critical Role for Parks in a New Era - Browning Day Browning Day Mullins Dierdorf's practice of architecture, planning, and landscape architecture are grounded on the concept of providing our clients Leadership + Design®.

The park is beautiful today; we can't wait to see what it looks like when it's complete!

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