jarod logsdon

At 9 a.m. May 20, Zionsville Mayor Emily Styron, Zionsville Parks and Recreation staff, members of the Town Council, and residents will celebrate the official opening of Overley-Worman Park with a ribbon cutting ceremony.

The wooded 53-acre park is at 6040 Godello Circle, across from Starkey Nature Park and behind the new Vonterra subdivision on Zionsville Road.

“Rather than a traditional park, we’ve only taken a small footprint,” said Jarod Logsdon, superintendent of Parks and Recreation. “Our impact is just around three acres, linear throughout the site, and we’ve left the majority of the site untouched, with plenty of wooded and wetland areas.”

The park entrance bridge connects with the southern portion of the Big 4 Rail Trail extension and is adjacent to Eagle Creek, offering several paved and natural trails for walking, hiking and jogging.

“With Starkey Park and Overley-Worman up against Eagle Creek it will allow us to protect that area, focusing on the stream banks and controlling erosion,” Logsdon said.

In addition, two playgrounds for children up to 12 years old will be available, including shelters and picnic areas. Also, some unique amenities have been added.

“We will have an 18-hole disc golf course, which is a first in our parks systems. We’re pretty excited about that,” Logsdon said. “We will also have one mile of mountain bike trail. The site used to be a fill from other work sites in the city, so we chose to embrace the landscape there and create something unique.”

Logsdon said the mountain bike trail will offer challenging offshoots for seasoned mountain bikers, but also a short trail for those that just want the experience.

“I think of it as a gateway park for those that want to try out mountain biking,” Logsdon said. “If you get a taste of it and decide it’s for you, there are other parks in the region, just a short distance away, for more challenging courses.”

There will be a fishing pond with two fishing piers and a boardwalk, including some park overlooks.

“We’re really providing seclusion with nature at this park,” Logsdon said. “I think it’s the best of both worlds because we can develop nature programs and summer camps in this area and we’d love to activate that body of water at the pond for some aquatic programming as well. There’s something for everyone.”

The Friends of Overley-Worman Park is a non-profit community organization with a mission to help ensure success and activation at the park using community advocacy and fundraising for future investment.

For more information, visit the website at www.owpfriends.org or the Town’s website at www.overleywormanpark.com.