Residents weigh in on improvements at Columbia park

Columbia Parks and Recreation is planning improvements at Indian Hills Park. The department held a public input meeting at the Activity and Recreation Center Wednesday night to hear from residents.

Vaneta Brown, who lives nearby said she and her grandchildren visit the park often. She said she would like to see more playground equipment.

“I think it needs some upgrades,” she said. “It’s been there for a while you can tell. It’s kind of rusted out.”

Ryan Atkinson, a planner with Columbia Parks and Recreation, said $100,000 is budgeted for improvements at the park, which is funded through the voter approved Park Sales Tax. He said one of the playgrounds at the park is around 20 years old and they are looking to replace it.

Other improvements scheduled to begin in the spring include upgrading the bathroom facilities, making the park more ADA accessible as well as infrastructure upgrades to the disc golf course.

Other residents living near the park said they would like to see more security cameras installed.

The city has been working to improve the appearance of the park for the past several months. In April, volunteers participated in “Operation Clean Streets.” They picked up trash, repainted bathrooms, cleaned sidewalks and cleared overgrown vegetation.

The Columbia Police Department’s Community Outreach Unit also patrols the area frequently. In July, the department hosted a neighborhood BBQ that attracted more than 100 people to Indian Hills Park.

“I think the events that the police held down there was a good outcome,” Brown said. “Everybody enjoyed themselves, everybody came together. Some of us didn’t know each other so we got to meet new people.”

Work on Indian Hills Park is scheduled to begin in the spring or summer. Residents can weigh in on what improvements they’d like to see at the park by clicking here.