NEWS

Need more detailed

information?

Visit the Town’s website at

www.townofoplainfield.com

Pick up a copy of the Spring/

Summer 2014 Program

Guide!

Inside this issue:

PJBL Signups Going

on Now!

2

Miracle Movers Field

to Open Sept. 20th

2

Clarks Creek Nat.

Closed thru Sept.

3

Annual Maintenance

to Close Rec Center

3

Tennis Courts Now

Feature PIckleball

3

Rec Center Calendar

June thru September

4

Splash Island Hours

Change August 6

4

Volume 1, Issue 3 July—September, 2014

Little League State Championship to be Played Here!

Plainfield will host the 2014 Little League

Major Boys State Tournament July 19-24. The

Al & Jan Barker Sports Complex has been

selected as the site for the tournament.

“We knew when we built the Complex that it

had the potential to host a big event like this,”

said Clay Chafin, Plainfield’s Director of Parks

& Recreation. “We’ve already demonstrated

it in soccer with two Westside United Invita-

tional Tournaments under our belt. But now to

be able to host a prominent baseball event

like this one adds a whole new dimension to

our experience base. This will broaden our

appeal as a destination for baseball tourna-

ments.” Chafin added that when the Sports

Complex first opened in 2011 it did host the

Little League tournament for 11-year olds.

The Little League Major Boys State Tourna-

ment is anticipated to draw 3,500 to 5,000

spectators in addition to the 14 teams.

Robin Brandgard, Town Council President, said

the tournament provides an opportunity to

show off Plainfield. “We anticipate many

families here for the tournament will visit

Splash Island, be exposed to our trail system,

eat in our restaurants, stay in our hotels, and

shop in our stores. We hope it will give them a

reason to return.”

The tournament is free and open to the public.

The winner will go onto the Great Lakes re-

gional tournament, which will also be held in

the Indianapolis area, as Indiana’s representa-

tive.

The winner of the regional tournament then

advances to the nationally televised Little

League World Series in Williamsport, Pennsyl-

vania.

The Al & Jan Barker Sports Complex was chosen to

host the event in part because of its ability to host

several games a once.

Puppy Pool Party Returns September 6 & 7

While Splash Island closes to human visitors on Labor Day, that

doesn’t mean the party’s over. Canine friends have their chance

the next weekend. The 8th annual Puppy Pool Party will be Sep-

tember 6 & 7. Times for big dogs (over 35 pounds) and small

dogs (up to and including 35 pounds) will be staggered as in

previous years. See the Town’s website for additional infor-

mation, including hours. Fees: Minimum $10.00 per dog. $7 will

support the town beneficent fund and $3 will support the Hen-

dricks County Humane Society’s HOPE program (Help Over Pop-

ulation End) NOTE: All pets must have proof of current vaccina-

tions the day of the event! Paper certificates are required –

RABIES TAGS ALONE ARE NOT ACCEPTED .

Plainfield Parks & Recreation News Page 2

Plainfield Junior Basketball League Sign-ups Going on Now!

some of our open gym time

to get the make-up games in.

This should help if we end up

having another bad winter.”

Registration for those in the

non-resident category will

begin September 22. End

The Plainfield Junior Basket-

ball League is now register-

ing students who are either

residents of the Town of

Plainfield, are a part of the

Plainfield public school sys-

tem, or attend St. Susanna

Catholic School. League play

will begin in November.

“This is the second year for

co-ed play,” said Clay

Chafin, Director of Parks &

Recreation. “We decided

last year that the interest in

girls’ basketball alone

wasn’t enough to run a fall

league exclusively for them,

so we are expanding the

season this year. League

play begins in November

and ends in March before

Spring Break. Unless regis-

trations dictate otherwise,

the program will be co-ed

for grade levels 1st through

6th. For those in grades 7 &

8 and 9-12, girls will play

against girls and boys

against boys.”

Running a longer season will

also allow make-up games

to be scheduled over a long-

er period of time. “We had

a lot of winter closures last

year,” Chafin said. “We

ended up having to suspend

registration date for everyone is

September 28. The coaches sign up/

informational meeting is September

29; evaluations are October 18.

Anticipated start date is Nov. 3.

Teams are divided into five age

groups: 1st & 2nd grade; 3rd & 4th

grade; 5th & 6th grade; 7th & 8th

grade; and 9th through 12th grades.

Questions may be emailed to

basprogram@town.plainfield.in.us.

Miracle Movers Field Set to Open on September 20

volunteer is assigned to a child,

that they be a consistent part

of the child’s experience for

the duration of the season. We

want it to be a great experi-

ence for both the league play-

ers and the volunteers.”

Registration for each player

will be held to $20/child for

the three or four week season.

“A lot of the cost of operating

The synthetic surface Miracle

Movers Field is being com-

pleted now and is set to

open on September 20 in

conjunction with the Quaker

Day festival.

“During the grand opening

ceremonies we’d like to intro-

duce all the kids who have

signed up to play in the Mir-

acle Movers League and let

them play an inning just for

fun,” said Clay Chafin, Direc-

tor of Parks & Recreation.

“League play will then con-

tinue for the next three to

four weeks.”

The number of players will

be capped at 80. There will

be two leagues, one for ag-

es 11 and under and the

second for ages 12 through

21. Games are limited to 90

minutes.

Registration forms and volun-

teer forms will soon be avail-

able in the Parks & Recrea-

tion’s Online Registration sec-

tion of the Town’s website.

“We are especially looking

for volunteers to match one-on

-one with each player,” said

Chafin. “The volunteers will be

asked to commit to participat-

ing on Saturday afternoons

for each game. This will mean

we will need a ton of volun-

teers, but we strongly believe

it’s important that when a

This year PJBL will have their

season extended from

November until March

(ending before Spring Break).

Also, grade levels from first

through sixth grade will

feature co-ed play, unless

registration dictates other-

wise.

the league will be offset by

the generosity of some com-

panies,” added Chafin. “We

have already have had inter-

est expressed by local com-

panies to be sponsors for this

league.”

The Miracle Movers Field is

located at the Al & Jan Bark-

er Sports Complex on South

Vestal Road.

Page 3 Volume 1, Issue 3

Clarks Creek Natatorium Closed for HVAC Update

Clarks Creek Natatorium was closed on June 17 and will be closed through

sometime in September. The closure become necessary as the Plainfield

school system and the Parks Department have been working together to ad-

dress deficiencies in the air handling system. During the closure the HVAC

system will be replaced. In addition, some other minor improvements will be

made to enhance the aesthetics and functionality of the facility.

All programming has been moved from Clarks Creek to Splash Island, either

indoor or out, while construction work is performed in the natatorium. Pro-

gramming is generally expected to remain at the same date and time, just a

change in location. However, there may be exceptions.

For any updates or changes, call the Rec Center at 839-POOL (7665).

Tennis Courts at Franklin Feature Pickleball

Recreation & Aquatic Center Closes for Maintenance in August

The Recreation & Aquatic

Center closes every year for

a week in August to handle

annual maintenance tasks and

other duties that can only be

accomplished when the facili-

ty is closed for a consistent

amount of time. This year, the

indoor aquatic center will be

closed August 9 through 17 and the Recreation Center will be

closed August 11 through 15. “During this time we’ll be refinish-

ing the gym and locker room floors, seal pool tiles, and per-

forming regular maintenance tasks,” said Nate Thorne, Deputy

Director of Parks & Recreation. “We also plan to use the time

to do some training on our Emergency Action Plans.”

The Aerobics and Cycling class areas, which had been sched-

uled for a September closure for additional maintenance, will

now not need to be closed. They were deemed satisfactory.

Pickleball may not be a common household sport yet, but in

some circles it’s a craze. If you haven’t heard of it, it’s a sport

that is played on a court about the size of a doubles bad-

minton court, 20 x 44 feet, using paddles instead of rac-

quets. A game can be played with two players (singles) or

four (doubles). The entire court is used whether playing dou-

bles or singles.

The tennis courts at Franklin Park have been adapted so

pickleball can be played on them. Open play is Mondays at

6 pm, Wednesdays at 9 am and Saturdays at 9am. During

those times paddles and instructions can be furnished for first

time players to learn what the sport is about. For information,

contact Steve Rink, 557-2205, or Larry Rudy, 839-4308.

The yellow lines differentiate the pickleball court from the tennis court

boundaries at Franklin Park. To learn what the sport is about, visit the

courts during open play on Mondays , Wednesdays or Fridays.

Plainfield Parks & Recreation Department, 651 Vestal Road, Plainfield, IN 46168, phone 317-839-POOL (7665); email: havefun@town.plainfield.in.us

July 2014

Sun Mo Tue We Thu Fri Sat

1 2 3 4 5

6 7 8 9 10 11 12

13 14 15 16 17 18 19

20 22 22 23 24 25 26

27 28 29 30 31

August 2014

Sun Mo Tue We Thu Fri Sat

1 2

3 4 5 6 7 8 9

10 11 12 13 14 15 16

17 18 19 20 21 22 23

24 25 26 27 28 29 30

= Splash Island Family Waterpark open

regular hours (M-S, 10 am to 6 pm;

Sunday 12 noon to 6 pm. Wet Wednes-

days 7 to 10 pm.)

1 (Green dates) Wet Wednesday August

hours, 6 to 9 p.m.

Splash Island Hours Change After August 5

Among the fun times at Splash Island this year has been the

Summer Swim Team meets. This photo was taken at the meet with

Meridian Woods. The swimmers are warming up in anticipation of

swimming in their events. (photo courtesy of Nate Thorne)

15 (Blue Dates) Puppy Pool Party (see article

on page 1)

September 2014

Sun Mo Tue We Thu Fri Sat

1 2 3 4 5 6

7 8 10 11 12 13 14

15 16 17 18 19 20 21

22 23 24 25 26 27 28

29 30

31

We’ve had a great June at Splash Island, and we’re off to a

good start in July! But when the Plainfield School System goes

back to school on Wednesday, August 6, Splash Island’s hours

will no longer be daily. From August 6 until Labor Day, Sep-

tember 1, hours for the outdoor water park will be as follows:

Saturdays: 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.

Sundays: 12 noon to 6 p.m.

Wet Wednesdays: 6 p.m. to 9 p.m.

On Monday, September 1 (Labor Day), the Splash Island

Family Waterpark will be open from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. That’s

the last time for human swimming until 2015 (but for canines,

see page 1 about the Puppy Pool Party September 6 & 7).

With so little time left to enjoy the summer pool schedule, plan

on coming early and often!