2023 Valpo Parks Annual Report

Annual Report 2023 celebrating wins

director's message

CITY LEADERSHIP

Matt Murphy, Mayor

Bill Oeding, City Administrator

Holly Taylor, Clerk Treasurer

John Seibert, Parks Director outgoing

Kevin Nuppnau, Parks Director incoming

2023 CITY COUNCIL

Peter Anderson

Evan Costas

Jack Pupillo

Robert Cotton

Harry Peterson

Diana Reed

Casey Schmidt

BOARD OF DIRECTORS

Kay Magnetti, President

Mark Hardwick, Vice-President

Don Clark

Kevin Cornett

Martin Sonnenberg

The year 2023 was a memorable one as we shared so many impactful moments. We celebrated the service of longtime Parks Director John Seibert who dedicated three decades of his life to the betterment of Valpo Parks and the City of Valparaiso. He taught us the value of unwavering dedication, unyielding passion and an unfailing commitment to enhancing the quality of life in our community. John’s legacy continues to drive us forward. I’m grateful to have worked alongside John for five years at Valpo Parks and honored to follow his lead.

Together we had so much to celebrate this year as it was truly a year of Making Moves. Once again, we saw the community come together to support a new park – this time getting On Board for the new Flounder & Friends Skatepark, contributing ideas, energy and resources to turn this dream into a reality. The opening was magical and more skaters, bikers, scooter riders and spectators arrive daily.

In 2023, we saw people of all ages come together to learn new skills, visit new places, challenge themselves, explore the outdoors and connect with others. Multiple neighborhood parks became more inclusive with the installation of ramps and enhanced playground equipment. Our horticulture team brightened public spaces citywide with an explosion of color. Biking options expanded with the return of BikeShare. And we turned the city into a storybook with sparkling holiday lights. There were options for all ages, interests and seasons – indoors and outdoors.

Valpo Parks is fortunate to work with such a dedicated team, including staff, Parks Board, Parks Foundation, City administration and an engaged community of partners. Together we are committed to providing facilities and programs to serve all generations and for generations to come. In these pages, we’ll share some highlights and some aspirations too. We hope to see you in person this year as we work together to polish some of our legacy parks while building new ideas for the future. Please join us!

Tim Warner Kevin

Kevin Nuppnau, Parks Director

our mission

Dedicated to enriching our community by designing meaningful spaces , creating impactful experiences , and promoting healthy lifestyles.

a year in review

City of Valparaiso Celebrates John Seibert

After 34 years of exemplary service to the City of Valparaiso and Valpo Parks, John Seibert retired as Director in June of 2023. John’s legacy of service can be seen and experienced in all Valparaiso parks. Some of John’s most notable accomplishments include ValPlayso and ValPlayso Next Generation, Service Memorial at Foundation Meadows Park, Creekside Golf Course & Training Center, Central Park Plaza Phase I and II, Renovation of Tower Park, and ValPAWraiso Dog Park, among other achievements.

In John’s final year as Director, he celebrated with City leadership and community members the ribbon cutting of Valparaiso’s newest park addition, Flounder & Friends Skatepark at Fairgrounds Park. Residents and visitors of Valparaiso will forever be grateful for John’s passion and commitment to the community.

Reinvestments at Rogers Lakewood Park

Located on Loomis and Spectacle lakes, this 122acre legacy park is the perfect place to spend a day outdoors. Throughout 2023, Valpo Parks made major reinvestments to key infrastructure. To improve water quality, guests will see an added water fountain and eight aerators on Loomis Lake, along with a new building, tee signs and solar lights in the Disc Golf area, adding to the quality amenities for disc golfers. New pavement and striping at the entrance enhances the park’s overall curb appeal. Updated park signage throughout provides better directional support and consistency for both new and regular visitors. Look for even more improvements to Rogers Lakewood in 2024.

Flounder & Friends Skatepark Opens

Valpo Parks celebrated the grand opening of Flounder & Friends Skatepark on November 9, 2023. This innovative new park is 15,000 square feet and features a bowl in the shape of a fish, a musical manual pad, mini ramp, a 6-foot high vert wall and other exciting street features. The $2.6 million project is open year-round, weather permitting, and includes lights to extend the hours of play. Stay tuned for clinics, camps and more fun opportunities at the skatepark!

park financials

Thank you for your support so we can continue to ensure our community is a great place to live, work and play! We are also appreciative of our Valpo Parks Foundation sponsors and partners listed in our spring Roots Newsletter.

1st Source Bank

Allure Wedding Venue & Event Center

AM Stabilizers

Associated Pediatricians

Bach Family

Birnam Design, Co.

Brandy's Lock & Key

Brokerworks

Real Estate Group

Brown Tire of Valparaiso

Cavanaugh & Nondorf Orthodontics

Costas Family

Crumbl Valparaiso

Currie Motors

Ford of Valpo

Designer Desserts

Discovery Charter School

don Quijote Restaurante

El Salto Restaurant

Anytime Fitness

Athletico Physical Therapy

Chick-Fil-A

Country Inn & Suites

Fluid Coffeebar

Franklin House

Arrested Sounds

Family Express

Extra Mile Fitness Company

First Merchants Bank

General Insurance Services

Good Brothers

Painting, LLC

Grieger's Motor Sales, Inc.

Growing Kids

Learning Center

Growing Smiles

Pediatric Dentistry

Hannah's Hope

Harper & Harper Attorneys at Law HealthLinc

HighGround, a Hageman Company

Indiana Beverage inHealth

Inman's Bowling & Recreation Center

Henry Home Improvements

Journeyman Distillery

Joy Shiatsu Massage

Kidworks Pediatric Therapy Center

Lifestyles

Ivy Tech Community College Valparaiso

J & B West Roofing and Construction

Jo Jo Epoxy and Floor Care

Lake Cable, LLC

Larson-Danielson Construction

Martinis Scratch

Kitchen & Lounge

Martz Family

Matt Murphy and Family

McAfee Animal Hospital

Meijer

Metro Recycling

Northwest Health

Patton Law Office

Paul Sur Buick GMC

Pepsi Beverages Company

Mark & Laura Pfledderer

Locks of Fun

Marrell’s

NIPSCO

Nuppnau Lawn & Snow

Cassie Miller, In Loving Memory

Flanagin’s Bulk Mail Service

Funkhouser Fotography

Ocean Life Construction

Peddlers Pizza Pub

Ricochet Tacos

Santefort Real Estate Group, LLC.

Strack & Van Til

Puntillo & Crane

Orthodontics

Purdue University

Northwest

Restoration Dental Studio

Serenity Salon & Spa

Steiner Homes, LTD.

SUPERCUTS

Team Chevrolet

Terry’s Discount Windows & More, LLC.

The Finishers. LLC.

Tri Kappa IOTA Chapter

Urschel

Vale Park Animal Hospital

Valparaiso Fit Body

Boot Camp

Valpo Car Company

Van Gogh, Inc.

Von Tobel

Windows by Anderson

Zeller NWIBaths.com

Tech Credit Union

The Beauty Lounge, LLC.

Thorgren Tool & Molding, Inc.

Wings Etc.

Zao Island

Sandberg’s Towing & Recovery

Upright Iron Works, Inc.

Committed to inclusive play

Valpo Parks will continue to commit time and resources to improving ADA (Americans with Disabilities) amenities throughout the parks. These amenities include hard surface connections to playgrounds, accessible benches and picnic tables, and updated inclusive playground equipment to provide more opportunities for all people. In addition, Valpo Parks will focus on adding lighting in strategic locations to create safer and more welcoming spaces for visitors.

Golf, a lifelong sport

Since the pandemic, golf courses have witnessed a boom, welcoming back seasoned members and enticing fresh faces to the fairway. This upswing shows no signs of slowing, and Valpo Parks Golf at Forest Park and Creekside Golf Course have reveled in the surge of enthusiastic golfers.

Improvements to the overall operation and courses are planned for 2024 to enhance the user experience. Additions such as new booking software with a loyalty program will allow guests to earn cash back to use toward future purchases. New cart paths at Forest Park will help to keep areas of the course in better condition throughout the year. Lastly, construction of a new outdoor driving range center at Creekside Golf Course will provide an improved user experience throughout the year. Valpo Parks and Valpo Parks Golf are committed to delivering the area’s best indoor and outdoor golf experience year-round and we hope that you will come visit us!

Back to basics

The success of Valpo Parks only highlights the road that led us all here – the FUNdamentals of our parks system. In 2024, Valpo Parks will focus on reinforcing the basics with its programs, events, and facilities that serve the community. Led by our core values of compassion, improvement, integrity, quality and safety, Valpo Parks works to provide the best possible experience for our visitors, while creating exceptional moments. As a department, Valpo Parks is dedicated to enriching our community by designing meaningful spaces, creating impactful experiences, and promoting healthy lifestyles.

the staff THAT MAKES IT HAPPEN

Administration

Tracy Betustak

Tristan Leonhard

Kevin Nuppnau

Tracy Wood

Office Staff

Cassey Knight

Ruth Martin

Nicole Robinson

Marketing

Marissa Gentry

Facilities & Venues

Beth Bowker

Maeve Crowley

Dan McGuire

Recreation & Events

Madison Bell

Cristina Darr

Dan Lukes

Katie Ridinger

Horticulture

April Anderson

Paul Chen

Jon Jahnke

Steve Martinson

Vaso Stojic

Golf

Maintenance

Todd Adams

Ben Frankowski

Andrew Small

Park

Maintenance

Troy Camplan

Brian Charlson

Cole Cornett

Dylan Johnson

Chris Michalak

Zachary Neyhart

Jason Phillips

Matthew Slack

Jeremy Stewart

Jake Tudor

Richard White

Cameron Wright

CONNECT WITH US

Valpo Parks Department

3210 North Campbell Street

Valparaiso, IN 46385

Hours: Monday – Friday, 8:30 am – 5 pm

Phone: (219) 462-5144

www.ValpoParks.org