EVANSVILLE — Nearly 67 acres of farmland could be added to Explore Evansville's portfolio in Northern Vanderburgh County, but what its use hasn't been decided yet.
The Vanderburgh County Council approved nearly $1.1 million for the purchase of two parcels of land near the Deaconess Sports Park and Goebel Sports Park. There was also an additional $76,970 approved for a parks study that would cover the newly acquired land and Burdette Park.
Nick Iaccarino, Bob Deig, John Montrastelle and Jill Hahn voted in favor of the land purchase and parks study. Joe Kiefer and Tom Shetler chose to abstain. James Raben was absent from the meeting.
Alexis Berggren, president and CEO of Explore Evansville, said the land purchase will help guide future development in the area. The study will help assess what is feasible to do with the new land.
"We're not certainly purchasing this land without a plan," Berggren said. "The plan is very much to expand Deaconess Sports Park."
One major element of the conversation with council surrounded the soon coming end of Angel Mounds as a site for cross country meets. The historic site will end athletic events in 2025.
Berggren said meets would like start being held in Terre Haute or Brown County if there is no replacement site locally. This would change both the tourism landscape in the county, as well as impact local athletes.
Then there are events like Tough Mudder and Spartan Race , which that Berggren said the county does not currently have an appropriate site for. These would be "transient" events, whereas the parks study could also look at permanent items such as a skate park or zip line attraction, Berggren said.
"Land in this area is a finite resource and has only appreciated in value over the last 20 years, making it a very lucrative investment in our opinion," she said.
This article originally appeared on Evansville Courier & Press: What's the goal of Explore Evansville's planned land purchase? Here's what to know.
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