W.C. Commissioners receive report on new park property

CLEVELAND - Some exciting steps are being taken in the development of the former Outdoor Therapeutic Property north of Cleveland.

After the county worked out a deal with the state to lease the property located off Albert Reid Road, the White County Commissioners appointed a committee to look at the land and come up with ways to make the most use of the property.

At Monday night's county commission meeting, Dr. John Crumpton, chairman of that committee, shared with the commissioners what they have done.

Crumpton had four main recommendations in total. First, he said, the buildings on the property need some attention, and there needs to be staffing for maintenance and management of the existing buildings. Crumpton also said access and parking improvements need to be made, while the construction of ball fields and archery/shooting ranges were some of the additional recommendations made.

White County Commission Chairman Travis Turner said he was "tickled" to see what they have done, and Turner said they will be moving forward with this program.

"What we will plan on doing over the next couple of months," he said, "is possibly have a public forum to allow the public to come out and see the proposal that the committee is in the process of presenting to the board on ways and options that we can use the property."

One idea the group has is to connect the current park facility on Asbestos Road to the south end of the property, and to build several ball fields and other facilities, thereby extending the current park programs.

The main obstacle they face in that effort is the construction of a bridge over a creek between the two properties.