General Info

Welcome to New Albany Parks & Recreation. We invite you to enjoy a vibrant park district with an abundance of sports and recreational opportunities. Operated by New Albany-Plain Local Joint Park District, NA Parks annually serves the 5300 families residing within the New Albany-Plain Local School District, the Village of New Albany, and Plain Township. Consisting of more than 200 acres of parkland, the park district offers 38 baseball, football, soccer, and lacrosse fields. Complexes at Bevelhymer Park and Thompson Park provide seven tennis courts and one basketball court, walking trails, playgrounds, pavilions, and concession stands. The Wexner Community Park, available for family gatherings as well as community events, offers a pavilion with fireplace, warming kitchen, restrooms, and adjacent playground and lawn space. NA Parks Director, Dave Wharton, and his staff oversee the day-to-day operations and maintenance of all grounds. The staff recently moved into a newly-built 3900-square-foot office and equipment facility at Bevelhymer Park. Through meticulous planning and aggressive saving, the park district built the new facility without incurring any debt. The primary source of funding is a permanent operating levy passed in November 2000 by the residents of the park district. The original.75 mill has rolled back and is currently at.53 mill this will provide $495, 000 in 2008. These funds are used for all operating costs including utilities, equipments, wages, and supplies. The permanent operating levy is also the source of funds for capital improvements or purchases. Participant fees from the various leagues provide a secondary income source. New Albany Parks & Recreation receives $17 of each registrant fee. These funds are applied to pay wages for staff members who support the leagues, such as the sports coordinator, as well as supplies and equipment needed to prepare the grounds for league play. The balance of the registration fee is used by the leagues to cover uniforms, officials, equipment purchases, league fees, insurance, and sometimes capital improvements. In 2003 and 2004, the community demonstrated its support by passing bond issues which provided the park district with $11, 000, 000 to purchase and develop park land and athletic surfaces. All development that was allocated with the bond funds has been completed. New Albany Parks & Recreation is operated by New Albany-Plain Local Joint Park District and directed by a six-person Board of Trustees. Each trustee represents one of the entities which formed the Park District: Village of New Albany, Plain Township, New Albany-Plain Local School District. The Trustees hold public meetings at the parks office on the first Monday of each month NA Parks Office located at 7860 Bevelhymer Road.