Valparaiso’s Central Park has received national recognition this week as one of the 2016 Great Public Spaces in America listing.
The American Planning Association recognized the center of Valparaiso’s downtown activities as part of the organization’s celebration of Community Planning Month.
Valparaiso may the smallest city of the cities to win this year, “but the quality has always been there,” said Valparaiso Parks Superintendent John Seibert after Tuesday’s official recognition ceremony in the park.
The APA is recognizing the kind of planning and community involvement that draws people and businesses to a city, Seibert said.
“We’re privileged to be included in that ‘best practices’ recognition,” he said.
Mayor Jon Costas said that the APA looked at what the park had to offer, “and ours is an extraordinary place.”
“It’s become the heart of the city,” Costas said. “We didn’t just make it bigger. We made it more usable.”
However, the park as a whole and not just the new Urschel Pavilion added last year – including the winter ice skating rink – was what the award was for, APA officials said.
APA Region IV Director Wendy Moeller said the group considered the architecture, geography and other items but doesn’t have a checklist it used for the more than 24 municipalities it considered for the honor.
Carol Rhea, president of APA, said in an earlier interview that she liked the statue of Valparaiso’s Orville Redenbacher at the park, and the splash pad, the amphitheater, community involvement and the interesting funding made impressions.
“It had a lot of strong community engagement,” she said.
Seibert told the audience that 50 partners raised about $4 million, and the city’s presentation included speeches from about 10 public and private collaborators and recognition of city residents.
James D. Wolf Jr. is a freelance reporter for the Post-Tribune.
See all of the winners
To learn know more about the award and fellow winners, as well as winners in the Great Streets and Great Neighborhoods categories, go to: www.planning.org/greatplaces.