The Porter County Parks and Recreation board heard Brincka-Cross Gardens opened on Thursday to great success and is considering reviving efforts to form a planning committee for the Furnessville county park.

Parks consultant Chuck Lehman of Lehman & Lehman met with the parks department earlier to discuss the need of getting a progress status report on Brincka-Cross. A presentation of highlights at the property was given by Lehman earlier in 2008 when the board spoke of the idea of forming a committee to develop a working guide for the park but discussions have faded since.

Lehman asked the board to revisit their original notion of starting a master planning committee made up of board members, department staff and members of the public to enhance the unique qualities of the park.

“This could be your crown jewel in the Porter County Parks system,” said Lehman.

Brincka-Cross, which opened the 3.9-acre garden area to the public officially on Thursday, features over 400 different varieties of hostas and several varieties of magnolia trees. The county parks department purchased the 25-acre property in 2007 which once belonged to sculptor William Brincka and longtime friend Basil Cross.

Lehman said the master planning committee should decide how staff can keep up the property as a sustainable operation. He encouraged the board to explore and compare similar sites to gather ideas that could be done at Brincka-Cross. He said the park can be used for multiple purposes such as an educational entity, a place for botanical research and also as a museum.

“We’re looking at a matrix of different themes,” Lehman said.

Because the property has such versatility, Lehman told the board they may be able to qualify for unique methods of funding and partnerships. He said there are “linkages” to places in Chicago where Brincka was known for his work. He said it was possible for the park to become a self-sustaining tourism site.

Lehman asked the board to complete their decision on the committee’s formation.

“This has been lying dormant for almost several years now,” he said. “We’re ready to engage the master planning.”

Board member Jim Perkins said the board plans to “push ahead” with the Brincka-Cross project once the board selects the new parks superintendent likely within the next 30 days.

Parks Supervisor Mike Howton said nearly 30 people attended the opening day of Brincka-Cross Gardens and that the phone “won’t stop ringing” with calls from people wanting to tour the property.

Westchester Twp. resident and longtime parks supporter Herb Read said from the audience he suspects the demand has put a strain on the staff to manage the park, but also that the growing demand is not entirely a bad thing.

“To me, it says there are a lot of people who like the county parks. It’s building a constituency. I would even say this shows political support for the parks,” Read said.

Perkins, who is also a member of the parks’ Land Acquisition and Development Committee, presented to the rest of the board members the committee’s recommendation on a $7,000 proposal from E.J. Hutson and Associates for boundary and topographic survey work to be done at the proposed Brookdale Park project in Liberty Township.

Board member Rebecca Tomerlin asked if the board should approve the survey work and cost, considering the county already has plans to do aerial topography for the countywide drainage study.

Perkins said the survey work will look specifically at three locations to provide more detail for future construction and the information will also be used to develop a master plan for the Brookdale project. The survey work would begin immediately to give enough time for Liberty Township resident Byron “Ed” Ruge to farm a portion of the land. Perkins also said development would not begin this year.

Tomerlin also questioned why a survey or master plan would be needed now when the committee does not plan to break ground this year.

Development Committee Chair Richard Maxey said the survey work would be needed for a grant application with the Department of Natural Resources that would match funds up to $200,000 for the development of softball and soccer fields. Maxey said the deadline for the grant is June 1.

Board president Richard Hudson asked where the money for the survey would come from. Howton said the money would come from a County Economic Development Income Tax fund.

Perkins said it is not yet determined if funding will be available for the master plan.

Approval for the survey work was granted by the board on a rare split vote. The board voted 4-2 on the motion with Tomerlin and fellow board member Annetta Jones voting no.

The county recreation department is running around with new ideas and events, literally.

Recreation director Gayle O’Connor said that she and the park staff are starting up a running program at Sunset Hill Farm County Park with the Calumet Regional Striders of Northwest Indiana. O’Connor said people are noticing Sunset Hill as a free place where they can run.

O’Connor also announced May 8 as the date for the “Spring Out to Sunset Hill” which is similar to the past Kites and Canines programs. The county has printed posters advertising the event which will be held from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. at Sunset Hill. Attendees are welcome to bring their families.

Also, the department will be teaming up the Porter County Parks Foundation and the Parents as Teachers of Porter County program to host a new fundraiser entitled “Touch-a-Truck.”

Children will be able to explore their favorite vehicles including monster trucks, fire trucks, construction vehicles and the “moo truck” from Family Express, O’Connor said.

The cost to attend the truck fundraiser will be $15 per car load which will go to educational programming throughout Porter County. The event will be held at Sunset Hill on May 22.

O’Connor said the department will be working Porter County’s Purdue Extension Office on starting children’s gardens at Sunset Hill. The department will also assist the extension office with their Professor Popcorn program starting this summer which educates elementary-age children on the values of healthy eating.

O’Connor said they will host these events at Sunset Hill and at Woodland Park in Portage.

Howton said there will be a new website launched by the department for the public to view more details about the events.

Posted 4/2/2010