Grassy Creek Park expansion with Indy Parks' largest playground now open

By: Taj Simmons

INDIANAPOLIS — Indy's far east side now has a relaxing community asset to call its own. The Grassy Creek Park addition on German Church Road is ready after two years of construction.

The new park blends a community center and play area with a vast area of natural beauty. Indy Parks bills it as an 'environmental community center,' one of just four in the city.

"It's Eagle Creek Park, Holliday Park, and Southeastway Park," said Alex Cortwright of Indy Parks. "It really provides multiple ways to play and learn. You may start coming here as a little kid and play on the playground to identify nature features, then you may come here for summer camp and identify the nature in real life."

Cortwright also said the new Grassy Creek playground is the largest in the parks system.

Neighbors around the Grassy Creek Park expansion are pleasantly surprised that Indy Parks decided to invest in their community.

"It's actually pretty good that they're actually making our community look better, more than it has before," said Albert Velez. "I can come down and look at birds and stuff like that."

"It's nice seeing them trying to do something nice around this side of town," added Keyshawn Williams.

Quincy Bright believes the new Grassy Creek Park can be the peaceful place children in his community need.

"I'm a home-based case management worker, so I work with a lot of kids in the community. I'll be definitely using this as one of my tools," Bright said. "It's kind of cool, it's actually better than I thought. To do something like this and see everyone from the community have something positive to come to, it's good to see."

Cortwright hopes everyone in Indianapolis checks out the new Grassy Creek Park at least once.

"It's such a quality of life boost," Cortwright said. "It's opportunities for engaging with nature and fun for kids on this playground and elsewhere."