Speedway Trail Association, Parks Board Hold First Meeting



(posted June 5)

A three way dialog has started to pursue the dream of building trails in Speedway. The Speedway Park Board met with the newly formed Speedway Trail Association (STA) and Donald Colvin and Karina Straub of Indy Greenways.

Developing the trails in Speedway has been a convoluted process to find out which government entity has the power to start the process. The residents hear support but no government entity has stepped to the plate to start the process. The town's verbal support is not enough to attract Indy Greenways to come to the area.

"We go where the happy faces are," Colvin said. The more happy faces Speedway can produce could influence the priorities to develop the B & O Trail earlier.

Bev Dotlich, STA president, wanted to know what the group needed to do to spearhead a trail system.

"The town council endorses the trail, but nothing happens," Herman Greenwood, STA member, said.

The Speedway Parks Board is not totally ready to jump into another project to build trails after laboring for over year to improve Leonard and Meadowood Parks. The major reason for not hoisting the flag of approval is the lack of jurisdictional power outside the two parks. It would take town council authority to assume that leadership.

Town Clerk Sharon Zishka said the B & O Corridor was deeded to the town during the court ruling that determined ownership when the CSX gave up the B & O corridor. She said she has been waiting about four or five years to receive a copy of the deed that officially states that it belongs to the town.

Joe O'Neal, resident, said he has talked with the towns of Carmel, Plainfield and Zionsville. Their in-town trail connections were driven by the parks board and street department.

He said the street department maintains the trail and pedestrian pavement. O'Neal would like to see a trail pedestrian system identified to encourage people to walk in town. The mileage markers would given them incentives. He remarked that Speedway is one of the last communities in central Indiana that has yet to develop a trail system.

He also wanted the B & O to connect to the Indianapolis Zoo to the White River Trail.

"That is just four and a half miles from Main Street," he said.

He thought that would encourage more people to ride their bikes to work.

"You have just as much power as we do," board member Lisa Edington said. She suggested the citizen group band together and start attending council meetings to show the council the group's desires to start the trails within the town.

Town Manager John McCurtain recommended the group speak their opinion of connecting the linear trails with the two parks to the redevelopment commission since they are starting redevelopment area two to improve the retail shopping centers.

"The biggest pitfall is crossing 136 to link the two parks together," park board member Ray Lawrence said.

According to INDOT Will Wingfield, a preliminary plan exists to add a pedestrian trail to connect to the Conrail trail and Eagle Creek as part of the I-465 expansion. (see map)

Colvin said INDOT has been very cooperative about preserving corridors to connect under the interstate.

Straub recommended the group meet with the Greenways Development Committee to voice their support for the B & O Trail. The committee is a citizen advocacy group for the Indy Greenway trails.

Colvin noted Indy Greenway's goal is to develop the trail through Marion County and is agnostic towards city and town boundries. He noted that by working in cooperation the town and city could co-apply for grants that would make trail development more efficient. He noted this process is being used to develop the Pennsy Trail with the Town of Cumberland.

Greenwood inquired if the town could rely on Indy Greenways for trail design and planning instead of hiring a separate architect landscape since Speedway taxpayers support the Indy Parks.

Zishka noted that approximately $400,000 of Speedway taxpayers' money is directed downtown to support Indy Parks.

Colvin said he would have to check into that issue.