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In 1998, the Evansville Parks Foundation received funds from the estates of Bill Moutoux and his sister, Elise Moutoux Trautvetter. After meeting with members of the family, a list of potential improvements to the park was developed.
Designed by architect and past EPF Board Member Dan Engelbrecht, the Moutoux Shelter Pavilion represented a dream realized for the family of Bill Moutoux. Bill had a vision of youth gathering at a central spot to picnic with families, or meet with coaches and fellow soccer players before or after a game. A committee of Foundation volunteers worked with Mr. Engelbrecht and representatives of the Moutoux Park Booster Club to design and construct the Pavilion, valued at $80,000. Mayor Frank McDonald participated in the 1999 dedication of the shelter by kicking out the first soccer ball.
Although enjoyed by many soccer players and fisherman, the park was made more “youth friendly” by the addition of a $20,000 EPF-funded handicapped accessible playground in the fall of 2003. The playground features a central element with multi-levels and slides, plus swings and a separate “climber,“ perfect for older youth interested in gathering and/or testing their physical abilities. The playground’s location, next to the Moutoux Shelter Pavilion, make it a perfect gathering spot for younger siblings of soccer players, as well as families wishing an outing or picnic.
Coordinated by committee chair Terry Poag, the Moutoux playground project complemented proposed improvements to the park by the city’s Department of Parks and Recreation and the Moutoux Park Booster Club. The park’s soccer fields were completely re-vamped by the Moutoux Booster Club volunteers, who brought in and spread dirt to raise the fields, planted grass, and irrigated the new turf.
More than $15,000 in landscape improvements at the west-side Moutoux Park were funded by the Evansville Parks Foundation in 2004. These improvements included a spruced up park entrance, stone and landscaping along the soccer park fence to designate user entrances, and wildflower plantings in several sections of the old landfill. These plantings will eventually self-germinate to create a wildflower meadow—-reducing mowing requirements and beautifying the space. Additional improvements to the park include two benches installed near the EPF funded playground.