Orlando Somers Photo provided by the Howard County Historical Society
In 1920, Orlando Somers gifted the city of Kokomo a piece of land near his home on Jefferson Street, and the city turned it into Somers Park. Now, 100 years later, the city is in the process of gifting ownership of the park to Center Township.
The townshipâs board last Thursday passed a motion on a 2-1 vote to accept the deed to the park, once a resolution between the city and township is drafted, board member Steve Geiselman said. A formal resolution is expected to be voted on at the boardâs Jan. 5 meeting.The cityâs Board of Public Works approved the transfer at its Wednesday meeting.
A joint effort between the city of Kokomo and Center Township to acquire a piece of Howard County history soon will come to fruition.
Last Thursday, the Center Township Board accepted an agreement between themselves and the city to acquire Somers Park, located on the corner of East Jefferson Street and North Delphos Street. The park is named after Civil War veteran and Howard County legend Orlando Somers. While the formal vote to accept ownership of the park will at the next township meeting, both Center Township and the city have agreed on the transfer as of the parkâs 100th anniversary on Dec. 21.