JEFFERSONVILLE, Ind. (WDRB) -- After years of flooding problems, hundreds of homes in Jeffersonville, Indiana, are now staying dry thanks to a new concept for the city's parks.
From above, Shirley's Arbor Park looks like a normal park, but down below a hidden feature is helping the neighborhood.
Even though it's the middle of winter, the city's newest park off Charlestown Pike is still seeing plenty of visitors.
"It's really nice to have something close to home," said Nicholas Graves, a frequent runner who lives in a nearby subdivision.
Shirley's Arbor opened in December and is already expanding after the city approved a $108,000 effort to build a new playground that will add to the existing walking trails, workout stations and greenspace.
Flooding has been a common complaint in the neighborhoods around the park.
"When flash floods and hard rain comes, they all have bad situations with drainage," Jeffersonville Mayor Mike Moore said. "(The project) started out as just a drainage fix, and the more I thought about it 14 acres of green grass and some trees can also be a beautiful park."
Hidden underneath the park is a large detention basin.
Shirley's Arbor Park in Jeffersonville, Ind., on Saturday, Jan. 16, 2021.Â
"When all that hard rain comes, instead of going into people's basements and flooding the streets, it's gonna go into the detention pond," Moore said.Â
Initially, developers were interested in using the land to build multi-family homes or apartment buildings. Moore, however, said new development would have worsened the area's drainage issues.
The park/drainage fix is a new concept for the city, which is currently building another one downtown, near Spring Street. It gives damaging flood waters somewhere to go while giving back to the neighborhood.
"Definitely happy to see a park or something for the community, other than another bank or gas station," Graves said. "It's really nice to have something like this."
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