Ground broken on airport park at Ft. Wayne
By this fall - or more likely next spring - Fort Wayne residents and guests will have the opportunity to picnic and relax in the shadows of the city's military history.
Indiana Air National Guard officials Thursday broke ground on their planned Baer Field Heritage Park. The park will be in the area currently a parking lot in front of the 122nd Fighter Wing base on Ferguson Road.
Col. David Augustine, 122nd commander, said the park is a way to honor the past and provide access of the base's history to residents.
"We will create a heritage park that you'll be proud of," Augustine said as he prepared to turn over a shovel of dirt at the site.
The park will include a variety of military aircraft, including the currently displayed F-100, F-4, F-84 and F-16. He said the base is working to secure a few more planes as well as a decommissioned Humvee.
The park will include benches, picnic tables and a pavilion for residents to gather. It will be open to the public without security, except during elevated threat periods. By being next to Fort Wayne International Airport, officials hope it will attract out-of-town guests and local residents alike.
Along with breaking ground, officials Thursday accepted a $4,000 check from the State Armory Board to help build a memorial in the park honoring the military personnel and civilians who helped make the base a success.
Maj. Gen. R. Martin Umbarger, the adjutant general of Indiana, attended the event and lauded the work of the National Guard, past and present. He said he was proud of the efforts to create a memorial in Fort Wayne.
"We should never forget our heritage," he said.
The park was not only designed internally by the local Guard but will also be constructed mostly through volunteer labor, Augustine said. Soldiers and support groups have already expressed a strong desire to help make the park a reality. But Augustine was also realistic on the park's schedule, saying he would love to see it open this year, but the use of volunteer help likely means it won't be ready until the spring.
He said people wishing to help with the project should call Lt. Rebecca Metzger at 478-3279.
"We live in a great community that offers our military members tremendous support, and Baer Field Heritage Park is a way that we can thank our community members for standing behind us," Augustine said.