Pastor weighs in on community conflicts in Greenwood

By Mike Alexander

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Dr. Tom Bridges, a Greenwood church pastor, is smack dab in the middle of change coming to Greenwood.

The First Baptist Church minister is a member of the city’s parks board and the Old Town revitalization committee.

“Last night, I got 14 more to sign the petition (for Freedom Park),” he said. This is a church pastor who went knocking on doors on a Sunday evening to bolster support for a 72-acre westside Freedom Park, complete with an aquatic complex, planned just west of Stop 18 and Averitt Road.

He knows that the city of 48,000 residents is on the threshold of change because of its rapid growth.
But change costs money – mostly taxpayers’ money.

How does one move a community forward to the delight of residents as well as attract new businesses? Greenwood’s population is expected to double in the next 20 years, with the advantages of I-65 to the east, U.S. 31 down the middle and Greenwood Park Mall on the north end.

On the other side, there are residents taking a tough stand on rising property taxes. If they see renovating the central city (Old Town) and a huge aquatics park as an investment in community growth, then at what cost? How will it affect tax rates?

The city of Greenwood takes pride in having the second-lowest property tax rate among Indiana cities. But there are those who envy what Columbus, Carmel and Plainfield have done in improving their downtown and enhancing quality of life characteristics such as attractive shops and boutiques, parks and pedestrian trails.

Pastor Tom, as he is called by his church-goers, doesn’t feel he is an activist in bringing about change.
“I like to think of myself as a peacemaker,” he said in a slow, Southern accent. This comes from a man who grew up in Georgia and lived 23 years of his life in Fort Wayne. He has lived in Greenwood eight years.

Bridges will turn 59 on Oct. 5, the day before the deadline of the petition drive regarding Freedom Park.
So, how does this clergyman, among many others, influence change?

One is in knocking on doors to get petitions signed.

Secondly, he conducts public meetings in which all comments can be heard. His 150-year-old church at 99 W. Main St. has been the meeting site of residents both for and against the park. A similar-size opposition meeting was proposed by church member and business woman Cathy Martin.

“I thought it was a good idea because then people could get straight information,” he said.

Bridges understands the concerns of retirees on fixed incomes.

“But when I was a youth, our community had a swimming pool built during the Depression of the 30s,” he said. He believes residents today have a legacy to provide for future generations coming to Greenwood.

As for Old Town Greenwood, he knows it is possible for it to become stagnant if improvements aren’t made to attract traffic. Greenwood and the rest of Johnson County don’t have convenient east-west traffic routes. County Line Rd. is the closest, but it is choked with busy commercial developments. The heart of the city, Madison Ave. and Main St., often have traffic backed up requiring two or three traffic light changes to clear the intersection.

Bridges has seen what Splash Island Family Waterpark at the Plainfield Recreation and Aquatic Center has done.

Water parks around the state – Plainfield, Carmel, Kokomo, Merrillville and Clarksville – all made money this year, he said.

Plainfield is a city of 28,000 people – 20,000 less than Greenwood – and its water park has a capacity for 1,500 visitors – 300 more than the one planned for Greenwood.

Greenwood’s proposed $11.5-million aquatics park would include a children’s spray park, slides, current channel, a lap pool, diving boards, zero depth entry for easy access, athletic fields, picnic area with party shelters and possibly a section for ice skating in the winter, walking trails and pathways adorned by trees and shrubs connecting the park to other city parks as well as ample parking.

Work on Freedom Park could begin in the spring, if the remonstrance opposing it is unsuccessful during the current petition drive.

Bridges said talk about the park has gone on for eight years. He feels now is the time to act.

If proponents lose the petition drive, then plans will sit dormant for one year, resulting in higher costs should the proposal start all over again.

Oct. 6 is the deadline. Results are expected to be known in December, after the Johnson County Clerk’s office verifies each petition signature.

One Response to “Pastor weighs in on community conflicts in Greenwood”

1. Kathy says:
   1September 11th, 2008 at 12:45 pm

   I live in Perry Township just a half a mile north of County Line. I can walk to the mall. I wish I could sign the petition in support of this park. I know it doesn’t raise my taxes but I would be glad to pay extra for a season pass. I think this is such a positive thing for Greenwood. I have a son that lives in Greenwood with his wife and three children and my son says he supports this park. Times have been tough and money has been tight for my son but he feels it will improve the quality of life in Greenwood. I read a couple of days ago that Indiana is not the hippest state for young singles but that a lot of young families are moving to Indiana. They are looking at towns that have walkability, green space, nice parks including places to swim and play with their kids, trails ect. Greenwood better wake up if they want to become a town where young families want to come and live and raise their children. The northside understands this and westside is getting it too. You can’t just think about the present, you have to plan for the future.

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