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Newfields gets $10M park grant, neighbors hope upgrades will deter crime

INDIANAPOLIS (WISH) Newfields 100 Acre Arts and Nature Park is getting a major financial shot in the arm, to the tune of $10 million.

Newfields is hoping this park expansion will not only get people out and about to enjoy nature, but also have a lasting impact when it comes to helping deter crime. 

Michele Geis and her four kids were out enjoying Newfields Virginia B. Fairbanks Arts and Nature Park on Thursday.

The free family-friendly park that will soon be getting some much-needed upgrades.

I like my kids to be able to run about and it’s a little hard to do that in our neighborhood, so I’m excited about the expansion, said Geis

On Wednesday, The Richard M. Fairbanks Foundation announced a grant of $10 million to support enhancements to art, trails, parking, nature conservation and more in the Virginia B. Fairbanks Art & Nature Park.

The 10-year grant will help maximize use of the 100-acre park, which is one of the largest art and nature parks in the country.

Funding will support amenities such as bike paths and walking trails to better connect the park to the Central Canal Towpath and Newfields’ upper campus; additional parking, security, and restrooms to build visitor capacity; a children’s play zone to enhance appeal; and ecological upgrades, including erosion control that currently limits access along the park’s existing trails.

Everyone deserves a beautiful green space, and it’s proven that when people have access to them it doesn’t improve just the lives of individuals but the whole community really is lifted up, said Jonathan Wright, Newfields Ruth Lilly deputy director of Horticulture and Natural Resources.

Wright said the new additions will not only spruce up the park, but hopefully bring down crime too. 

In July 2018, WISH-TV reported how neighbors credited the new nearby Tarkington Park among other things, with cutting back on crime as the neighborhood marked 1,000 days without youth gun violence. 

People in the park News 8 spoke to Thursday hope the new upgrades will have the same impact when it comes to curbing violence.

For me personally, when I’m exercising, I’m happier. Then, you’re less likely to turn to crime maybe and stay out of some other kinds of trouble, said Geis.

I think it will have more of a long-term effect than a short-term effect. I think if you help point kids in the right direction when they are at a formative age that they will absolutely help out for the long term for the violence in Indianapolis, said Andy Mendenhall

As part of the grant, Newfields also will establish an endowment to fund ongoing park and outdoor sculpture conservation.

Wright also said Newfields wants to have more events in the park including movie screenings and summer camps for kids. 

Work on the project is expected to start this summer.