Three Anderson Township parks are getting upgrades this year, funded by the district's first-ever capital levy.

The Anderson Township Park District board reviewed its 2026 project slate at a Tuesday, Sept. 8, meeting at the Juilfs Park Office. The 1.0-mill, 25-year tax, approved by voters in November 2023, generates about $1.42 million a year for park improvements, according to the district's funding page.

At W.M. Johnson Hills Park, crews are working on a natural surface trail renovation. The project was listed as "under design" in the district's February 2025 annual review and carried into 2026.

At Laverty Park, the district plans a new restroom unit, maintenance storage, ADA access improvements and parking lot renovations. The board placed a construction contract for the restroom on its July 14 agenda, authorizing Executive Director Mike Smith to sign it.

Clear Creek Bike Park is slated for bike park and path upgrades.

A fourth project is already done. The district completed the Riverside Park ball diamond conversion in March, installing synthetic turf on ballfields No. 2 through No. 5, new lighting, backstops, upgraded fencing, player benches and a drinking fountain with a bottle filler.

The levy funds are dedicated to what the district calls the six "P's": paths, potties, parking, playgrounds, pickleball and playability. Projects completed in 2024 included all-weather fields at Riverside Park, a trail extension at Beech Acres Park, a parking lot expansion at Veterans Park and synthetic turf at the Marty Brennaman Field at Juilfs Park, according to the district's project history.

The board also discussed a proposed Memorandum of Understanding with Anderson Township and the Forest Hills School District. The MOU would guide all three entities in a collaborative long-range planning process, according to the meeting agenda. The item appeared under "Old Business" and was also on the board's July 14 agenda.

The collaboration grew out of a community engagement study conducted by Brandstetter Carroll Inc. The study examined the use of 17 acres of park property purchased in 2023 near Beech Acres Park, plus six acres around the Anderson Parks RecPlex, according to an Anderson Township newsletter. In March, township trustees, the park board and the Forest Hills school board held a joint meeting to review the study's results. It was their first joint session since 2015.

At the Anderson Township Board of Trustees' Feb. 12 meeting, Township Administrator Vicky Earhart said "she would draft an email for the Board review to send to the School District and Park District" to resume collaborative meetings, according to township minutes.

The Sept. 8 agenda also included a request to appoint a board member to the 2026–2027 Anderson Park District Records Commission. Commissioner Kevin Commerford served in that role in 2025.

Meeting minutes confirming votes and discussion details from the Sept. 8 session have not yet been published. Residents can find board agendas at the district's online meeting portal.