Finding purpose at Newcastle’s Heritage Park

The City of Newcastle, Pinnacle Bank, the Newcastle Veterans Memorial Committee and other local organizations continue to work together toward the creation of Heritage Park, and as they begin to identify the scope of the project they have enlisted the help of Matt Fridell of Tallgrass Landscape Architecture. 
As previously reported, the groups have been developing the idea for a park that will include a veterans memorial, festival/market area, restrooms and splash pad. A splash pad, also known as a spray pool, is a recreation area, usually in a public space, with little to no standing water. 
As one of the first steps towards development of the park, Fridell met with members of the public to begin conducting a survey to determine the direction the community would like to take with the project. He visited with residents at a booth he hosted during the Newcastle Farmers Market last Thursday, on the roughly 1 acre of land that will eventually be home to the park. 
The survey will be part of the feasibility study on the development of Heritage Park. The study will also include an economic and needs analysis, potential employment opportunities, cost estimates for construction and a description of future maintenance costs, as well as any other pertinent information revealed along the way. 
“All of that will combine into the feasibility study. The goal is to have that completely done in September, with portions of it available beforehand so grant applications can be put together,” Fridell said. 
Newcastle received $18,750 from the Wyoming Business Council to complete the feasibility study, as reported in a previous story. 
While the initial response on the project is mainly positive, according to Fridell, there are concerns as the project moves forward. 
“There are some concerns and challenges. One is always costs. Improvements cost money and time from the community end,” he said. Fridell noted that estimating costs will be tricky as inflation varies across the different markets associated with building and construction. 
He also said that the additional workload on the city maintenance staff is another issue that can create challenges associated with time and finances. 
“Another concern is Newcastle has not resolved its identity as a destination related to the Black Hills. There is not a strong chamber, and there is not a cohesive marketing campaign,” he said. “There are great elements like the bike trails, but there is still some ambiguity in what Newcastle is and how it relates to the tourism destination that drives people through that end of town.” 
Despite the concerns, Fridell is excited to continue working with the community to develop the park, which he believes will benefit the community in many ways. 
“There is some really amazing potential there that could represent the community really well. It could help explain what Newcastle is to travelers,” he said. 
Fridell had praise for the groups working on the project. 

“They are really working in their own niches to create some things. This place can provide a spot for all of those (groups) together, for the community,” he said. “The community appears really supportive from preliminary input. People wonder about the costs, but every town I have ever worked in worries about the costs and who is paying for it.” 
Costs associated with the project will be part of the feasibility study, Fridell said. 
Of all of the benefits, the most important might be the location of the park, adjacent to the crossroads of U.S.  Highways 16 and 85, with Fridell suggesting that the park could potentially act as an unofficial visitors center. 
“It will be a place that could capture the passing visitors, give them a fun place to stop and learn about Newcastle,” Fridell said. “There is some really amazing potential there, it could represent the community really well.” 
Duke Ottema, director of the Veterans Memorial Committee, reiterated some of Fridell’s sentiment on the park’s location. 
“The majority of them (the public) are for it, probably 90% to 95%. There are a few that don’t like it. They already point out the two memorials in Newcastle (at Greenwood Cemetery in Newcastle and the Weston County Courthouse), but some others have said they aren’t visible enough,” Ottema said. “There’s a lot of support for the location of the future memorial. Some people think it will be a draw to Newcastle having it so close to the intersection of 16 and 85.” 
Resident Cary Voss also favors the location, stating that it will be nice for the memorial to be visible, adding that “it’s about time.” 
Allen Slagle said he liked the memorial ideas and the covered area proposed for the park but that he was having issues seeing how all of the ideas will fit together in the available space. 
Esther Ferguson noted that she is glad to see the public getting a say in the design and project as a whole. 
If you are interested in responding to the survey please see the ad on page 16 for information on how to do so.