All-inclusive 'Pocket Park' being built outside Jeffersonville's library

JEFFERSONVILLE, Ind. (WDRB) -- Officials in Jeffersonville broke ground Tuesday on a new all-inclusive mini park in front of the city's library.

The Jeffersonville Township Public Library on Court Avenue was once home to a train depot and it will soon be the site of a brand new "Pocket Park" that will appropriately feature a train as one of its attractions.

The hope is that the small park will make good use of a space that hasn't yet been used to its fullest potential. It will feature musical instruments, wooden train cars, benches a communication board and more.

Officials said they have raised about half of the roughly $193,000 needed to complete the project.

The entire park will be wheelchair accessible, and library director David Seckman said it will be a great place to take children before a trip to the library.

"If you want to talk about one-stop shopping, if you wanted to bring your kids in and play — tire them out a little bit — then come up and check out some books and go home," Seckman said. "So I think it's nice to be able to utilize the modern amenities that a library offers — that a lot of people might not realize — and at the same time to play and explore."

Seckman said libraries haven't been as popular as they once were these days, especially during the school year. So he is hopeful that the park will bring people back and remind them of all the resources that local libraries offer.

The park is scheduled to be finished in September.

Most of the funding is provided by the Community Foundation of Southern Indiana, but the library is selling a limited number of brick pavers with individual donor names engraved on them for $200. It will cost $250 to add a business name and logo.

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