STA Wants to Build Trail Awareness


(posted Oct 26)


The Speedway Trails Association is looking for a volunteer to organize a run/walk to raise money as a means to increase trail awareness.

STA President Bev Alexander set Spring 2008 as the target date and believes that an event would help encourage trail development.

STA board member Marie Hall explained that many residents are not aware that an active group exists to establish a trail system.

The STA members are currently out canvassing property owners adjacent to the proposed trails about their opinions concerning developing the B&O Trail. Alexander explained the survey may have to be changed to capture the income rental residents comments. Alexander explained that she is receiving a higher favorable response from income rental residents than the owner-occupied residents that border the trail. Alexander said that some of the residents believe they have ownership even though they did not fill out the paper work to claim it.

She said she has been trying for several years to receive ownership to her section, but she claimed she has been stonewalled by Indianapolis City Legal that does not interpret the court case like the B&O Trail Association's interpretation that CSX's abandonment of the B&O gives ownership to the adjacent property owners.

Herman Greenwood of STA said that Butler University students are developing a strategy to promote the trails and these tools may help with talking to adjacent property owners.

Nicki Parsons, the contact person for the university project, said the university's program is a service learning journalism project created by the students to help non-profits. The students selected the Greenways Foundation as the non-profit that they are assisting this semester.  The Greenways Foundation assists groups with state-wide trail development .

Parsons explained the students are in the research phase to develop promotional activities to help local groups like the STA build alliances and coalitions to influence and create awareness to recruit others to the cause. The program will also help equip these non-profit groups to handle opposition and to use technology to build a word-of-mouth effect. The project is scheduled to be done December 14.