Indianapolis Cancer Survivors Park to be relocated - 13 WTHR Indianapolis

The city's Cancer Survivors Park will soon get a new home. Thursday the Parks Board will vote on a proposal to move the park from its current site at Indiana Avenue and West 10th Street to a site on Fall Creek Parkway adjacent to the Julia Carson Government Center.

Eyewitness News has done several stories on the condition of the Cancer Survivors Park over the last year. Built in 1995 with a $1 million gift from the R & A Bloch Foundation, it has since fallen into severe disrepair.

Parts of the structure are heavily damaged and rusting. At times the park has also become overgrown with brush in violation of the city's tall grass and weeds ordinance.

Indy Parks Deputy Director Jen Pitman said with the damage now too costly to fix and the park harder to get to with all the new development, Indy Parks has decided the best solution is to move it. Or rather, move the parts that can be saved including the sculpture and plaques.

"The cost can be offset using maintenance funds we have [from the original agreement] and we think it's an appropriate and good use if we get it into a community that's willing to adopt it and take care of it," she said.

Leigh Riley Evans, executive director of the Mapleton-Fall Creek Development Corp., said they would love to have the park in their area. She said in recent years the neighborhood has seen several million dollars in new or rehabbed housing and other improvements.

"It would be a welcome addition to the neighborhood. We like it because it would enhance our green space and draw attention as a gateway," said Evans.

Not only is the site highly visible - about 50,000 cars pass here each day, but there's plenty of parking. Race for the Cure's Dana Curish recently told us moving the park was a good idea if the city committed to taking care of it.

"This has so much meaning to those of us who've survived cancer and there are hundreds and thousands of us, and it's very important to have a place that's special," she said.

Pitman vows the city will maintain the new park and won't let it fall into disrepair again. But if it does start looking shabby - the city can count on Mapleton-Fall Creek to get on their case.

"We would jump in and make sure the necessary phone calls are made letting them know it need to be trimmed and responded to," said Evans.