Mayoral Candidate Proposes Program to Improve Crumbling Parks

NEWS RELEASE

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

The Evansville Parks Department would receive an infusion of at least $150,000 and an additional summer workforce of about 50 school-aged summer workers under a proposal by current Democratic Party mayoral candidate Rick Davis.

Davis, the current Vanderburgh County Treasurer, told a Town Hall audience at McCollough Library on Thursday night that an additional 50 high school and college-aged students would comprise a Community Service Corps under the umbrella of the Evansville Parks Department. The students would be paid minimum wage for 40 hours per week and be charged with cleaning and improving the parks and cemeteries during a 10-week summer period.

Davis was in attendance at a recent Evansville Parks Board meeting and was dismayed as Neil Troost, an Evansville physician whose daughter was stuck with a hypodermic needle while playing in a sandbox at Sunset Park, delivered a damning PowerPoint presentation to the Parks Board describing the poor state of Evansville’s parks. Davis said it was clearly evident from Troost’s presentation that the Parks Department is severely underfunded and undermanned and in need of immediate attention.

The summer workforce would be responsible for cleaning and beautifying our parks and removing graffiti from parks department facilities.

“The citizens of Evansville deserve to let their children play in a taxpayer-funded park without worrying for their safety or being exposed to profanity that has been spray-painted on children’s playground equipment,” said Davis, 41, who is the Vanderburgh County Treasurer. Davis said he would also like to see the Community Service Corps tackle beautifying improvements at city-owned cemeteries, too.

“During the summer months — during the growing season — our parks department personnel are busy keeping the grass cut so that we may enjoy our parks,” said Davis. “The addition of the Community Service Corps would help ensure our families have a beautiful, safe, and enjoyable green space to take advantage of.”

Members of the Community Service Corps would be between the ages of 16 and 20, said Davis.

Davis, who has held seven Town Hall meetings, said quality of life issues such as improvements in the Parks Department have been important topics brought up by members of the general public.

The next scheduled Town Hall meeting will be held on Thursday, Feb. 24, from 6-7 p.m. at Oaklyn Library, located at 3001 Oaklyn Drive. To learn more about Rick Davis and his campaign, please feel free to visit www.PickRickDavis.com.

FOR MORE INFORMATION CONTACT RICK DAVIS FOR MAYOR CAMPAIGN CHAIRMAN BILL DENTON AT 499-6312.