“I agree the playground equipment needs some repair and updates. I’m not sure why the existing tennis courts need to be torn down completely. I walk there daily and often see people using the tennis courts. Could we not leave a court and add pickle ball beside it with four courts? Pickleball is a growing sport, which I think tends to attract an older demographic. It would be a nice addition to the park. I can’t help but think if the tennis and basketball courts were in better shape, they may see more use. The basketball court is also one of the worst in the area. After renovations to the courts in Greenville, people are there playing all the time. Granted, the park did put up new goals a few years back and vandals promptly destroyed them. I know this has nothing to do with grant funding, but the park used to be maintained better. Mowing and trim work has declined since a few older gentlemen quit working there. Fallen trees are no longer removed. Not sure who’s in charge of grounds, but we definitely need training or additional workers.”
“I would like to see more handicapped accessible parks I have a little boy in a wheelchair and there’s nowhere to go!”
“Hayswood Park at the fishing docks need to be repaired I am handicapped and in wheelchair and it's the only place I can fish last time I was there the boards were weak and they had big holes in them”
“The playground is no fun and dangerous for children. There are holes rusted through the flooring on the newer playset. The playground needs to be more handicapped accessible as well. Being in a wheelchair and father of 2 boys, it's difficult to enjoy the time with my children when I have to push my chair through mud, stick, and loose gravel. I live in Palmyra”
“Updating the playgrounds at Buffalo and Hayswood needs to be top of the list, putting in a splash pad at hayswood would be amazing! I'm in Corydon, we hardly ever go to either park because they are run down, we'd go every week to Hayswood if it was updated.”
“I’m not pretending to know what goes on behind the scenes for funding etc but as a mom with littles I can say Harrison County does not have a good selection of safe, fun, updated areas for our kiddos to play. It’s sad when we have to drive 15-30 minutes for a park that the littles will enjoy. It’s also sad that most of our parks are completely missing options for littles with disabilities.”
"I was up there this week and it is pretty rough."
"Hayswood has gone downhill as well, no good parks for the kids in this area."
"With all the money this county gets from the casino, you would think the parks would be better maintained."
"you would think huh..funny how it never goes where its needed..like certain fire depts that have needed it for a decade."
“Every park in the county has some type of rust issue. The playgrounds at Haysewood and Buffalo Trace are rusted and need replaced. PLEASE spend money on those playgrounds before adding additional attractions. Our young kids need places to play and they just aren’t safe as they are today.”
“Adding a 95,000 pickleball area to a park with the same (outdated,neglected) equipment I played with 30 years ago is like putting clean underwear on a dirty body. It would make the most sense to renovate/add to what is already existing. I’m not saying that pickleball shouldn’t be added,but it certainly isn’t priority.”
“It would be so great to update the playground area! Also it would be nice to treat the park so that when we go for a nature walk we don't leave all bit up by mosquitoes! Thank you!”
“Every single time I take my three kids to Buffalo Trace Park the playground equipment looks worse. I would love our tax payer money to go to some repairs.”
“So obviously not everyone is going to agree on what our county needs. A portapot in the middle of the Indian Creek Trail is a must. If you walk the entire trail that's nearly 6 miles, the majority of people are going to have to go to the bathroom at some point. Also I'm not here for the excuse of the portapot getting vandalized. There was a brand new shelter put in place and it's never been vandalized. Buttermilk Falls in Brandenburg has 2 portapots and they are kept nice and clean! Hayswood needs new swings, and get rid of the gravel! That is not handicap accessible at all or even okay from strollers. That playground is over 20 years old, things are missing, and rusted out! A splash pad would be a huge hit! I would even pay a couple bucks for my child to go, but I personally think it should be free. I know tourists bring money to our community but we need to focus on what the locals want also!”
“The play ground at Buffalo Trace Park is horrible!! The last time we went was in 2019 the mosquito was horrible, All the swings was broke, always muddy and the playground equipment was so hot to let my kids play on.. The bathrooms have always been locked when we have went so I have not seen or used those.. The petting zoo always seemed to be closed.. We went to the park this year for a Easter Egg Hunt and seemed to be the same - muddy, outdated, and dangerous!! I would love to take my girls to a park close to home we live in Palmyra.”
“Buffalo Trace definitely needs playground updates, please.”
“Buffalo Trace has a beautiful park with playground equipment that does not match its beauty. The equipment is in terrible condition, as well as the grounds that it sits on. Mud everywhere.
Hayswood Park is frequented too often by community members, schools for fields trips, etc., to not be updated. The swings have been broken for years.
Harrison County is lacking in the parks department compared to other counties such as Floyd.
No one is going to drive to BT for pickle ball.”
“I live in Pal and used to love fishing at the park. Haven't been in a few years. Went this spring and it broke my heart to see the deterioration. It is not well cared for and it used to be so nice. I have recommended it for a camping site to friends for years. Not anymore.”
“Can we fix the playground first?”
“I live in Palmyra but do not do any recreation here. If I didn't live here, there would be no reason to visit.”
“We use Hayswood park. I would rather see funds be used to update the playground equipment and dock, than to add pickle ball courts.”
“The playground at Hayswood could use a make over and a splash park somewhere in the area would be absolutely amazing! If both of these could somehow be handicap accessible that would be even better!!!”
“New or updated playground equipment at Buffalo Trace park”
“If enough people wanted to raise private funds for pickle ball, that's great.
Otherwise use the area could use that $95,000 for better use.”
“I live in Palmyra and I am very disappointed in the state of Buffalo Trace Parks playground. Broken and rusted equipment, overgrown grass and it just looks a mess. There is no reason why they need 95k to add picketball. The kids need a nice, safe place to play. Why add new stuff when the rest needs work smh. Imagine seeing broken kids swings and other playground equipment and saying screw that we need pickleball?! Like I can't process why Larry would think that's a good idea. Buffalo trace obviously makes money and yet has a run down playground.”
“The playground equipment at Lanesville's Gresham park isn't in great shape either, I don't think it is even that old. They've removed some of the very old equipment that has been there for 50 years but haven't added anything to replace them. There aren't really any working bathrooms, I've never seen them open. The shelter house is pretty nice. The park is tiny though and wedged between Heritage grounds, school, and Jaycee owned properties. I always felt that the bicentennial "park" in Corydon was a big disappointment and wasted potential of what could have been a nice playground and/or splashpad to really draw families to downtown.”
“Hayswood needs alot of attention....I am so upset about the increasing litter, lack of maintenance to grounds. The dock is not longer usable..around the pond and bank of the creek unkempt which I would go to multiple times a week to fish..I no longer frequent...level of water maintaining in the pond has continued to digress over the last 5 yrs and becomes over ran with blue alge...so sad. Used to be a wonderful local get away for me. I no longer take my nieces/nephews to the playground due to the equipment being unsafe/unkept.”
“Lanesville resident— Gresham park has turned into a drug zone because there are
No updates to the playground equipment. We need a splash pad in Harrison county.”
“Not only the conditions , but also the the lack of fish. The ponds at hayswood and buffalo grimace seem to have not been stocked for a while.now. I'm willing to help with this but many will not be able to learn how to fish and play.if the parks are going to beleft the way it is. I would love to see the parks the way it used to be. Full of fish and a great place for a kid to play.”
“Stay on top of the removal of dead trees at all the parks. Safty first with nature and existing equipment. A tree fell a few years back at BT ans narrowly missed a teen who was camping with a group. Water and wind can bring a dead tree down in an instant.”
“Would love to see new play equipment for the kiddos!”
“Let's add 95.000 pickle ball courts!? Facilities are ran down , grass over grown , drainage problems , rusted and broken playground equipment. Let's address safety issues 1st.”
“I feel like if we are asking to allocate $95,000 to the repairs of the parks, that would be a much more logical investment. When none of us can take our littles to play at the playground anymore because of mosquitoes, mud pits, broken swings, unusable equipment, and so on, it makes no sense to use it to ANYTHING BUT park maintenance. My park choice is buffalo trace because it's always been where to take the kids, but not anymore with it's conditions.”
“Clean up and fix up! Not sure about any pickleball. The Friends of Buffalo Trace tried to get a splash park! 🤔”
“Maybe fix the swings? Or paint or fix the equipment that's already there. How about maintain the grounds??! Who the hell needs pickle ball courts? Not me and not my kids. We would just like a park that is safe and functional. And I can't be the only one!”
“Why add new stuff when the the playground and etc looks like complete crap?! Maybe use funds to clean it up, repair and replace playground equipment and then at another time add new stuff. They charge entry, camping fee and etc. So they're making money.”
“I really wish they would just update and fix what's currently there. :( There's absolutely no need for anything new when what's there can't be kept up. I love having a park within walking distance, until I actually take them to a playground that is no longer safe for them. (boarded up where it's rusted through, no swings, well broken swings, teeter todders broken, mud pits) I've never seen it this rundown and it's a shame.”
“I have to say...we rented a shelter house for 65$ ....for a graduation party....3:30 pm on a Sunday...my guests all had to pay to get in and we
all had to clean up the disgusting overflowing onto the ground trash cans. 3 of the 4 at The shelter. As well as it's the shelter with the restrooms .. they were filthy as well....the small kids in our group had very little safe stuff to play on as most were cracked and broken and swings were down then. Just pretty sad they charge you for what...... To come clean up and do the staff's job. Never again will I do another function there. It was so embarrassing after spending over 500$ (food,decorations,space)for a nice cookout only to have to go home and get my own grill cause the ones there are laying on the ground. Hell, even the graduate had to pay to get in. So they made well over $200 off of me and my group for that day and it caused me more stress than doing it at home would've. Extremely disappointed in our park.”
“I was up there this week and it is pretty rough.”
“Hayswood has gone downhill as well, no good parks for the kids in this area.”
“With all the money this county gets from the casino, you would think the parks would be better maintained.”
“What a friggin bummer. We haven't made it there yet this summer....not so sure we will now 😭”
“I was there this weekend and grass was all grown up in playground area. Looks really bad.”
“I know all the damage down trees , unmowed grass unfinished bridge , sad just sad”
“I've noticed that the grass isn't being mowed very well, and there's several areas in need of attention. I wonder what's happened?”
“You know they make a good amount from campers and etc yet the playgrounds are not maintained at all. Their playground is gross.”
“Pitiful what Indiana has let happen to are parks there needs to be accountability to the people we need to demand better”
“It's very sad that the parks department has let this happen to such a beautiful place. It had been going downhill for a while.”
“We have been a few times this year and we noticed this. There are several areas that have been updated, well taken care of and are nice but there are also several areas especially where kids play that have been extremely neglected. It’s really sad.”
“Yeah I wish they would fix it up.. and the petting zoo”
“Let's give the dude 95k to build something else that he won't take care of. Yeah that makes since.”
“You should also know there is a water leak that he also REFUSES to fix. He spent park money on covering up a working drainage culvert, then the back part of the walking path kept flooding due to no drainage culvert... just to put another one right on top of it!
If they're going to charge families to enter the park, HE should invest that $95,000.00 in Lawn care, working playground equipment and Mosquito Joes..
Pickle ball. 🙄”
“It is pretty bad but they want to charge for parking, camping, fishing So where is that money cause it's sure not going for upkeep”
“I read in the paper the parks department is going to put in a pickleball court, costing thousands of dollars at Buffalo Trace. Really?!? How many people play pickleball compared to how many families need a safe park for children to play?”
“They want $95,000 for the pickle ball court!”
“That is crazy. $95K could make some real nice improvements to the playground.”
“Mom took the granddaughters up there last week. She said they had not mowed, grass was real tall, water standing everywhere. She said it was awful”
“Didn't I just read they want to spend $95k to put in pickle ball courts? hmmmm smh”
“Last summer when we went the swings were like that and there was a rusted hole on the play area for the slides”
“I would like to see more handicapped accessible parks I have a little boy in a wheelchair and there’s nowhere to go!”
“They need to put money in cleaning the park. There is standing water everywhere around the play grounds. Grass isn’t being mowed. Broken swings. A lot of safety issues in the park”
"New or update the playground equipment at Buffalo trace park. I was there for a walk and I wouldn’t take my 4 year old there to play, since it’s so bad. I rather drive the 25 minutes to another park than him get hurt there."
