INDIANAPOLIS | Indianapolis Cultural Trail | U/C [Archive] - Page 2

k2h

October 11th, 2009, 10:23 PM

http://campaignmark.createsend.com/t/ViewEmailArchive/r/DA80C439C4623AA0/C67FD2F38AC4859C/

New Bus Shelters Offer Poets Opportunity
http://i1.cmail1.com/ei/r/2E/230/93F/xelld/StopBus_6_2vertical101810.jpg

The Indianapolis Cultural Trail: A Legacy of Gene & Marilyn Glick announces another public art installation. “Moving Forward,” by Indianapolis-based architect Donna Sink, is a series of three custom-designed eco-friendly bus shelters that will showcase original poetry by published writers. The shelters will be located along the Indianapolis Cultural Trail on the south side of Virginia Ave. near Lexington St., McCarty St. and Woodlawn Ave.

A call for poetry begins this week and submissions are due Nov. 22, 2009. Published poets living in or with ties to Indiana are invited to submit work based on subjects such as community, neighborhoods, landmarks, shared spaces, transportation, history and the future. Poets must have published at least one poem in a print magazine or anthology prior to submitting work for “Moving Forward.” Selected poems may have been published previously.
The Writers’ Center of Indiana (http://indianapolisculturaltrail.cmail1.com/t/r/l/dilhtu/l/r) is administering the selection process with out of state jurors. Authors of the three selected poems will each receive a $1,000 award. Selections will be announced in March 2010. Poems will be displayed in their entirety on a stainless steel panel on the shelter. Excerpts of the poem will be embedded in ecoresin panels.

“Moving Forward” is the sixth public-art installation planned for the eight-mile Indianapolis Cultural Trail that will connect each of the downtown cultural districts with a uniquely designed pedestrian and bicycle path.

For more information about "Moving Forward" and to download the official call for poets visit www.IndyCulturalTrail.org (http://indianapolisculturaltrail.cmail1.com/t/r/l/dilhtu/l/y).

ICVA promotes Cultural Trail in new video

In the latest episode of "Doing Indy," the Indianapolis Convention and Visitors Association (ICVA) promotes Indy's greenway trails by highlighting the Monon Trail and the Indianapolis Cultural Trail.
Click here to view the video (http://indianapolisculturaltrail.cmail1.com/t/r/l/dilhtu/l/j).
You can also catch "Doing Indy" on Brighthouse Cable - "Channel 600" and Comcast VOD - "Get Local."

Construction Updates

NORTHEAST CORRIDOR (http://indianapolisculturaltrail.cmail1.com/t/r/l/dilhtu/l/t) - connecting North and Alabama streets to the Monon Trail at 10th St. View before and after photos and renderings of this corridor (http://indianapolisculturaltrail.cmail1.com/t/r/l/dilhtu/l/i).
TRAFFIC ALERT - North St. will be one-way westbound for approximately one week beginning Sept. 14 while crews repave the roadway. Paving will also occur on New Jersey St. from North St. to Walnut St. and Walnut St. from New Jersey St. to Park Ave. over the next two to three weeks.
THIS WEEK -- Crews will be working on the following areas:
Asphalt walk on 10th St.
Pipe and structures at St. Clair St. and College Ave.
Concrete walk at Mass Ave. and Bellefontaine St.
Prep for curb on Walnut St. from East St. to Park St. and one on College Ave.
NEXT WEEK
Pour curb on Walnut St. from East St. to Park Ave.
Finish concrete walk on 10th St.
Pavement at Bellefontaine St. and Mass Ave.
Begin repaving road on North St. (traffic restricted to one-way westbound)

WEEK OF SEPT. 21
Begin repaving on New Jersey St. from North St. to Walnut St. Currently one-way northbound. No parking in this area during repaving.
North St. opens.
Concrete paver base on Walnut St. from East St. to Park Ave.
Pour curb on College Ave.
NORTH CORRIDOR (http://indianapolisculturaltrail.cmail1.com/t/r/l/dilhtu/l/d) - connecting North and Alabama streets to Indiana Ave.
NEXT TWO WEEKS -- Crews will be working on the following areas:
Finishing storm sewer work on at North St. and Delaware St.
Paving north side of Walnut St. between Capitol Ave. and Illinois St.
Tearing out the south side of Walnut St. in the same area.
Walnut St. currently one-way westbound between Meridian St. and Illinois St.
This week, Illinois St. to Capitol Ave. will become one-way westbound.
Tearing up sidewalk on west side of Senate Ave. at Walnut St. to bore holes for conduit.
Tearing out median on Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Dr. (MLK) at St. Clair St.
Left turn lane from northbound MLK onto St. Clair St. has been permanently eliminated.
St. Clair St. from Indiana Ave. to California remains closed for pouring concrete and repaving St. Clair St.
Once this area is finished, St. Clair St. from California St. to MLK will be closed for approximately two weeks.
Click here (http://indianapolisculturaltrail.cmail1.com/t/r/l/dilhtu/l/h) to view photos of the ongoing construction.
Click here (http://indianapolisculturaltrail.cmail1.com/t/r/l/dilhtu/l/k) to view photos of the completed Cultural Trail on Alabama St. from North St. to Market St.

Next Brown Bag Meeting: Tues., Sept. 22

Monthly brown bag meetings will resume to provide additional opportunities for construction updates. Meetings will be held 12:00 noon to 1:00 p.m. in the English Foundation Building, 615 N. Alabama St.

Please save the date for upcoming meetings: Sept. 22, Oct. 20, Nov. 17, Dec. 15

Neighborhood Exploration Tour (NExT), Sept. 26

The Neighborhood Exploration Tour (NExT) is a new bike tour through the heart of Indianapolis that connects you to the Children's Museum of Indianapolis, Indiana State Fairgrounds, Indianapolis Art Center and Indianapolis Museum of Art. This 15 mile route along city streets, the Monon Trail and Canal Towpath is meant to encourage everyone -- adults and children, commuter and casual cyclists alike -- to explore these wonderful neighborhoods in the heart of Marion County and discover how fun and easy it can be to visit some of Indy's best arts and cultural destinations by bike.

Save the date: Sat., Sept. 26, 9:00 a.m. and complete FREE registration online (http://indianapolisculturaltrail.cmail1.com/t/r/l/dilhtu/l/u).
Start from any of the destinations listed above and go exploring!

For more information, contact Anthony Bridgeman: communityevents@childrensmuseum.org (communityevents@childrensmuseum.org?subject=NExT%20Sept.%2026) or 317.334.4137.

Wu-Gambino

October 30th, 2009, 06:36 PM

Hey, does anyone mind taking a few pics of the North Corridor? How's the progress on the Mass Ave/Monon connector? Has any new construction started on the remaining lines?

EddieB317

October 30th, 2009, 07:08 PM

It seems like slow going on the east end of Mass. There is some progress though. There is blacktop running from the intersection of Bellefontaine and 10th to the end of the Monon along 10th. I am not sure if the connection is going to just be blacktop like the Monon, or if it will be paved with brick like the cultural trail. A lot of the curb work along 10th seems to have been poured and is possible complete. Another recent thing that I noticed was the new curb bump out in front of R-Bistro. As for progress further down Mass I have not really seen any beyond a fire hydrant that was added in the middle of the existing street where the trail will run in the future (in front of the Junglas/ Art Bank). I am around that area fairly frequently, so I'll try to snap some pics.

cailes

October 30th, 2009, 07:18 PM

Feels like its been dragging on for a looooooong time. It hurts to look at the area of mass ave and college when driving through there. It feels like its been a big hole in the ground for months now with hardly anything going on.

By contrast, I also go down capital to get to school and when I drive past the area they are working there, it feels like they are moving equally as slow in getting this section completed. Are they working short hours, is it a shortage of resources, or is it really not moving so slow afer all? I havent seen all portions currently being worked on, but the only part that looks like its progressed to near completion is around the Riley Tower area.... and its STILL not done either.

CorrND

October 30th, 2009, 08:37 PM

Bill Brooks, the editor of Urban Times, has a piece this month about being thankful that these sections of the Cultural Trail weren't the first to be constructed. His editorial doesn't seem to be on their webpage, so paraphrasing: the Northeast Corridor construction is such a clusterfuck that, had they built this section first, it might have taken the wind out of the sails of all parties involved. With the Alabama section already finished, though, at least everybody can look at that and see how great the trail is going to be when it's done.

I think the main error is the fact that they're trying to build the entire corridor all at the same time. Very bad idea. They should have concentrated resources and built the trail in smaller stages. That way, each area would have had brief, very bad construction issues to deal with, and then it would be all over. The way they're doing it, EVERYONE is experiencing mild construction issues over a VERY long time. That just pisses everybody off.

The North Corridor has been managed far better than the Northeast Corridor. Here's one shot of the North Corridor looking west on St. Clair from the intersection of Fayette St (from 10/26):

http://s155.photobucket.com/albums/s289/corrnd/Cultural%20Trail/08-26-09/1024px/2009-10CanalC-TrailPre-construct-9.jpg

http://dig-b.blogspot.com/2009/10/photos-indianapolis-cultural-trail.html

cwilson758

November 2nd, 2009, 04:59 PM

I agree, the comnstruction of this seems way outta whack. I feel that at East Street and St Claire no progress has occured in months. It looks the same. I am sure though that logistically this is difficult as they are digging up sections of the original City plat where roads and sidewalks were probably just paved over previous "paths" and sewer lines.

cailes

November 6th, 2009, 06:03 PM

Stopped @ Walnut & East on my way to school last night and got some pictures around dusk. Enjoy

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3489/4080021011_1697f6bd8e_b.jpg

http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2784/4080792442_830c29cd37_b.jpg

I tell ya what, I would love seeing this box every day coming out the front door of my house...
http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3491/4080021797_07cc39fc6f_b.jpg

CorrND

November 6th, 2009, 06:41 PM

I tell ya what, I would love seeing this box every day coming out the front door of my house...
http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3491/4080021797_07cc39fc6f_b.jpg
WOW.

What's that control box even for? Aren't those usually for police to control traffic lights?

As damn-near-perfect as the design of the East Corridor is, there have been some curiously bad design decisions on the North and Northeast Corridors.

cailes

November 6th, 2009, 06:59 PM

The ONLY thing I can think of is that its a junction/control box for all the lights... seems like they could have made a more inconspicous way to house it though. I mean, put a hole in the ground or something. The wire/conduit is obviously there already, so why not put an access cover or something?? Im ignorant so Im sure there is some kind of code against that but damn, there has to have been a better way to do this. I just laughed and shook my head as I framed the photo...

EddieB317

November 6th, 2009, 08:37 PM

10th Street Monon Connector

http://lh4.ggpht.com/_weBy68KZy-I/SvRpz3-Ud2I/AAAAAAAAD1Q/xNzbeG3xkeQ/s512/P1010139.JPG http://lh6.ggpht.com/_weBy68KZy-I/SvRqQSTUnrI/AAAAAAAAD18/Huc6JGftM6Y/s512/P1010148.JPG

http://lh5.ggpht.com/_weBy68KZy-I/SvRqJwAVuJI/AAAAAAAAD10/C0jJyz5OKn8/s512/P1010146.JPG http://lh6.ggpht.com/_weBy68KZy-I/SvRqTrlrABI/AAAAAAAAD2E/eeEFg3z_ge8/s512/P1010149.JPG

http://lh6.ggpht.com/_weBy68KZy-I/SvRqW8kW19I/AAAAAAAAD2I/CALoUTI32rM/s640/P1010150.JPG

http://lh3.ggpht.com/_weBy68KZy-I/SvRqaNLGioI/AAAAAAAAD2M/LvUSfUiDO8I/s640/P1010151.JPG

http://lh4.ggpht.com/_weBy68KZy-I/SvRqgUcqNWI/AAAAAAAAD2Y/CrGc_8QDeGc/s640/P1010153.JPG

Bellefontaine and Mass Ave

http://lh6.ggpht.com/_weBy68KZy-I/SvRqy_NG6PI/AAAAAAAAD20/qNgm9id2qqg/s512/P1010159.JPG http://lh6.ggpht.com/_weBy68KZy-I/SvRq__pGhTI/AAAAAAAAD3M/pD5scuvSCYI/s512/P1010163.JPG

http://lh3.ggpht.com/_weBy68KZy-I/SvRq2OLGM3I/AAAAAAAAD24/EmQ7MaGMVHQ/s640/P1010160.JPG

College and Mass Ave

http://lh5.ggpht.com/_weBy68KZy-I/SvRqmlr-IAI/AAAAAAAAD2g/RCC_rzbO3pY/s640/P1010155.JPG

http://lh5.ggpht.com/_weBy68KZy-I/SvRqsoheP7I/AAAAAAAAD2o/f6Wl28q9sGA/s640/P1010157.JPG

http://lh6.ggpht.com/_weBy68KZy-I/SvRqvw9WeAI/AAAAAAAAD2w/cA6HhMDp-jU/s640/P1010158.JPG

SkywlkrSnd

November 6th, 2009, 11:14 PM

http://lh6.ggpht.com/_weBy68KZy-I/SvRqvw9WeAI/AAAAAAAAD2w/cA6HhMDp-jU/s640/P1010158.JPG

:lol: LMAO!
Ah, that's priceless.

socrates#1fan

November 9th, 2009, 04:51 AM

More! Build more!

They should really turn more sidewalks downtown into something like this! :cheers:

cailes

November 9th, 2009, 04:53 PM

As long as they dont take this long to do it...

cwilson758

November 9th, 2009, 05:49 PM

I really hope that once this gets completed at the north end of Mass Ave that the new market-rate apartment project gets going and we finally start to see the life get pumped into that section of Mass Ave

cailes

November 9th, 2009, 06:04 PM

CorrND

November 9th, 2009, 06:12 PM

cailes

November 9th, 2009, 06:46 PM

I agree 100% with that, and thought the same thing about the influx of new residents. If there was a way to get around the way the traffic is hamstrung, it would be much easier to get over.

EddieB317

November 9th, 2009, 07:07 PM

I dont know about that Cory. Talking to some of the people who work on the east end, it still seems stuck. Also, I dont think any of the business owners are ready for two more years of construction that will come with a cut off inthe available parking.

Not saying it wouldnt be a good project, there are just some wheels against it right now

I think the biggest issues with the east end "Trail Side" development come from the parking plan. Currently Trail Side is trying to move forward by getting a parking variance that would allow them to develop without the required parking. It is proposed for the residents to use the current center township trustee office parking from 5pm until 6am (estimate). Then they would have to move their cars. This is ok, but there is NO contract and NO contingency plan for if/when some of the residents do not move their cars and abuse the agreement. It seems that all that the East End merchants want is for the project to include the necessary parking required for a CBD2 commercial/ residential development. From what I have heard they would also be happy with a contract with the trustee as long as it is an actual contract and includes some kind of contingency plan. They just want smart development, not rushed development.

cwilson758

November 10th, 2009, 03:38 PM

EddieB317

November 10th, 2009, 06:30 PM

I don't think that getting hung-up on parking in surface-lot abundant downtown Indianapolis is necessary. The merchants need to recognize at least 75 residents living across the street as well as their visitors adding to their bottom line. Give them the damn variance. PLENTY of parking around the area.

Actually there is not plenty of parking in that area. The east end of Mass ave is bound by the interstate and 10th street and there is no abundance of open surface lots. The IPS employees use most of the street parking and adding 75 units with two cars each is 150 spaces. Add on top of that the parking for the retail on the bottom floors and all of their employees... There is very little parking. This end of Mass ave is going to grow and there will be even less. It is not ridiculous to ask for spaces required for CBD2 development.

http://lh6.ggpht.com/_weBy68KZy-I/SvmWJM-w03I/AAAAAAAAD4U/TLaKZY3cYLs/s576/East%20End.jpg

The parking behind the proposed trailside will be time shared parking with the center township trustees who currently use the entire lot and some street parking during business hours.

CorrND

November 10th, 2009, 08:45 PM

Actually there is not plenty of parking in that area. The east end of Mass ave is bound by the interstate and 10th street and there is no abundance of open surface lots. The IPS employees use most of the street parking and adding 75 units with two cars each is 150 spaces. Add on top of that the parking for the retail on the bottom floors and all of their employees... There is very little parking. This end of Mass ave is going to grow and there will be even less. It is not ridiculous to ask for spaces required for CBD2 development.
150 spaces is a bit exaggerated. The Trailside is to be 100% 1BR apartments, which are allocated 1 parking space at most apartment complexes. I'm also seeing 75 (IBJ) or 63 (Urban Times) units in the building, depending on who you're reading.

The redesign for the parking lot behind the Trailside shows 115 spaces (based on google satellite, it currently holds about 79 in an inefficient layout). It seems hard to believe that that wouldn't be sufficient for a time-shared lot between residential and commercial/office uses.

But if not, additional parking capacity could be gained through allowing after-hours curbside parking on Davidson (recognizing that Mayflower trucks need sufficient road width during business hours) or reallocating the basement of the building from community space to parking (though that might not fly with the tax credits earmarked for the project).

Also, if employees of IPS or Center Township are using metered street parking for work parking, that's something that should be addressed. That's not how metered parking is intended to be used.

cailes

November 10th, 2009, 09:05 PM

EddieB317

November 10th, 2009, 09:58 PM

Probably too expensive to offer a 2nd level of parking on the backside of the building (along davidson) to solve this. Suppose that goes against trying to "motivate" people to not even drive down there in the first place though

This would be ideal. Put in a parking deck...

150 spaces is a bit exaggerated. The Trailside is to be 100% 1BR apartments, which are allocated 1 parking space at most apartment complexes. I'm also seeing 75 (IBJ) or 63 (Urban Times) units in the building, depending on who you're reading.

The redesign for the parking lot behind the Trailside shows 115 spaces (based on google satellite, it currently holds about 79 in an inefficient layout). It seems hard to believe that that wouldn't be sufficient for a time-shared lot between residential and commercial/office uses.

But if not, additional parking capacity could be gained through allowing after-hours curbside parking on Davidson (recognizing that Mayflower trucks need sufficient road width during business hours) or reallocating the basement of the building from community space to parking (though that might not fly with the tax credits earmarked for the project).

Also, if employees of IPS or Center Township are using metered street parking for work parking, that's something that should be addressed. That's not how metered parking is intended to be used.

So lets split it, 100 cars for the Trailside residents. 24,000 sq ft of retail needs space for its employees to park and 20,000 sq ft of community space needs parking for its events. The current trustee office uses 100% of its parking lot and a lot on Davidson. So lets say 100 spaces of your 115 re-striped. That leaves 15 for the 24,000 sq ft of retail and the community center. It just doesn't make sense to develop this with out parking when someone who is willing to do a project with parking will develop it within the next 10 years.

Also, if the parking is sufficient, why can't the developer get an actual contract to use the lot, with a viable contingency plan? What happens when the tenants don't move their cars? Do they just get towed? At what point does the trustee office get fed up and break the agreement? How will a building with no parking at all lease? This is a fairly large business transaction, it is not ridiculous to want a legally binding contract for the sake of the neighborhood. An actual signed contract would make the current time shared parking proposal much more palatable.

ablerock

November 10th, 2009, 10:37 PM

CorrND

November 10th, 2009, 10:40 PM

I don't think a contract for towing unmoved resident cars should be necessary, but if that makes everybody happier, I say go for it.

But I'm not really following your numbers.

(a) Why are we giving the residents 100 spaces? 1 space per 1BR unit is standard practice. Lock it down. If a resident needs more than one parking space, maybe they shouldn't live at Trailside.

(b) "The current trustee office uses 100% of its parking lot and a lot on Davidson." What is the 'lot on Davidson'? My assumption is that the Trustees' office currently uses all of that 79 space lot and that's what their need is. If there's another parking lot, why won't that continue to be available?

So, there are 115 spaces and the Trustees' office needs 79. If you assume the residents mostly have jobs and work during the day (a reasonable assumption if you're doing background checks on potential residents' ability to pay their rent) that leaves 36 spaces for retail worker parking, customer parking, a few residents that work at night, etc. Seems reasonable to me.

Let's get this project going.

EddieB317

November 10th, 2009, 10:53 PM

EddieB317

November 10th, 2009, 10:58 PM

...or, GASP, if we stop catering to WHAT CARS NEED all the time, maybe we could build a city that is actually WALKABLE.

Maybe some of the people could walk to their damn restaurants instead of always having to park right in front of everything like it's a FARKING STRIPMALL.

This is ridiculous. They're holding up a decent development that will only help bring people to an underdeveloped area because they're worried about people having to WALK THEIR FAT ASSES A COUPLE OF BLOCKS to their fancy restaurant.

OUT.

Completely agree that Indy needs to be more walkable! But its not that they are worried about making fatties go for a walk... they are worried about fatties giving up and not coming at all. Ideally we would not need parking everywhere, but in one of the most obese and unhealthy states in the country there are plenty of lazy people (who like smoking inside... boooo!). The cultural trail is a good place to start, but this isn't about making fatties walk, its about keeping business who have anchored the east end viable and happy.

CorrND

November 10th, 2009, 11:00 PM

When was the last time that you saw any household with only 1 car. I have a car. My wife has a car. Thats how it works. Just because there are only 63-75 units does not mean that there are that many cars.

The contract just needs to secure the time share on the lot and have a plan for when the residents of trail side break the rules.

I also want the project, but it should be done right.
There will be that many cars if that's how many they're allowed to have at Trailside. Give residents stickers or hang tags. Very simple.

If you want to live in an apartment with a washer/dryer, you get an apartment with a washer/dryer. If you need two parking spaces, you live where you can get two parking spaces. Downtown is not a place where we should be guaranteeing such things.

My wife, baby and I only have one car and live in downtown.

ablerock

November 10th, 2009, 11:25 PM

The cultural trail is a good place to start, but this isn't about making fatties walk, its about keeping business who have anchored the east end viable and happy.

Yeah, yeah, just venting a bit. I'm not trying to make fatties walk. :-)

What's funny is that all those businesses have complained for years about not having enough foot traffic or attention up there in the ghost block of Mass Ave.

And what do they do when their end starts drawing some development? THEY BLOCK IT! wtf, seriously, wtf.

cailes

November 11th, 2009, 03:59 PM

I dont know that the parking issue is the crux here as much as the construction has f-ed things up. The point of view I recieved, was that the construction, and you have to admit just crossing college is a task right now, has put off people. It looks like a mess down there.

If that type of environment is present for 2 more years, the estimated time to finish, it could be argued that would be a pretty bad deal for the business owners down there.

Someone needs to advocate it. There is a good point. And Im all about walking. Dont get me wrong. Me and my now pregnant wife, both enjoy walking from below college ave across and up. If it were me, Id limit the parking as well, but you know people are going to drive in and park there, so like Eddie said, ya gotta have some kind of plan

Case in point:
http://www.ibj.com/mass-ave-gallery-gc-lucas-set-to-close/PARAMS/article/11087
Lucas said he also has struggled to attract traffic at the east end of Mass. Ave. since this summer, when a Cultural Trail contractor put up traffic barriers.

pattyco7

November 11th, 2009, 05:04 PM

Yeah, yeah, just venting a bit. I'm not trying to make fatties walk. :-)

What's funny is that all those businesses have complained for years about not having enough foot traffic or attention up there in the ghost block of Mass Ave.

And what do they do when their end starts drawing some development? THEY BLOCK IT! wtf, seriously, wtf.

NO! Let's make the 'FATTIES' walk. I work in an office building where there are shuttle buses picking up 'FATTIES' 1 and 1/2 blocks away from where they park their cars and driving their 'FAT' behinds right up to the front door.

It's no wonder why this state is so FAT!!!

ablerock

November 11th, 2009, 10:27 PM

I'd just like to note that I don't really condone use of the word "fatty." After reading it so many times, it sounds mean.

Maybe we could substitue the word with lazy-asses, jello-legs, or even non-walking.

cailes

November 11th, 2009, 10:32 PM

When I was in high school, there was a guy who used to hang out in the groups I ran with, and he used to promote his lazyness by saying, "My feet dont feel like walking..."

UGH

Mr Peanut

November 11th, 2009, 10:34 PM

The parking concerns seem very reasonable to me. This is an issue that will have a very big impact on the neighborhood, and this shared arrangement where nobody really knows who parks where at what time isn't going to cut it. As much as we might want things to be different, pretty much every household has at least one car. I would not lease an apartment in this place knowing that I would have to deal with my car getting evicted from its parking space every day at 6 am, and I think most potential tenants in Indianapolis would have similar attitudes. That's just the way it is.

EddieB317

November 11th, 2009, 10:56 PM

cdc guy

November 12th, 2009, 05:29 PM

Maybe we should try to pitch a "Biggest Loser: Indianapolis" to NBC... that would help the big boned / lazy asses of Indianapolis with the motivation to walk a block or two, which might ease the parking problems for everyone...

LOL. I still do Glendale as if it were an enclosed mall: Park once near the Library entrance and walk to Target, Macy's, Lowe's.

I don't think construction of Trailside will have the huge impact on the East End that the Trail construction does. Yes, it might remove the dozen or so meters in front of it from the mix, but it won't require one-way street restrictions.

The big picture is, we need to get the bus depot moved and its property redeveloped.

cailes

November 12th, 2009, 05:44 PM

Hey eddie, that picture you posted in the last page, it had some sketching on it and mentioned finish line. What was that all about? A race or something?

agree with you about the depot cdc. Arent there some vacant lots up the tracks that they could trade out for a bus depot instead? haha

EddieB317

November 12th, 2009, 07:06 PM

Hey eddie, that picture you posted in the last page, it had some sketching on it and mentioned finish line. What was that all about? A race or something?

On that map the corner gravel lot is owned by Indianapolis based Finish Line shoe stores. Probably 10 years ago Gary Cohen (Finishline CAO) & partners wanted to build a high end male show club on the lot but chatam arch blocked it. I think that they have a different (more agreeable) plan to develop the land but it has been in limbo for years.

The big picture is, we need to get the bus depot moved and its property redeveloped.

agree with you about the depot cdc. Arent there some vacant lots up the tracks that they could trade out for a bus depot instead? haha

There was a plan to move the bus depot north east on mass near the fed ex facility that you can see from I-70. The deal breaker (so far) has been that the bus depot wants the same sq ft facilities to be built on the proposed lot and that was estimated at $9m. This might have been feasible if there weren't the historic Coke bottling building on the current property that can't really be altered in a way to create the leases/condos/retail to outweigh the $9m cost.

Also the bus depot is adding 50 new people this year and 50 new people next year, which will also take more parking. (I do think that once the trail is in that there will be more metered parking thats properly enforced)

EddieB317

November 12th, 2009, 07:06 PM

About two years ago I was helping a friend to get signatures for a "purple line" mass ave circulator that would run up and down mass ave (and possibly connect to the ohio street stops). I am not sure why it all fell apart, but it obviously did not happen. :ohno: Any one else remember this and know what happened?

cailes

November 22nd, 2009, 01:46 AM

Me and the wife were down at Henry's on East for breakfast this morning. I snapped a couple of photos before we left the area... THEY WERE WORKING ON A SATURDAY!! I WAS VERY PROUD!!

http://www.hustonstreetracing.com/gallery2/images/c_trail_1.jpg

http://www.hustonstreetracing.com/gallery2/images/c_trail_2.jpg

Sunday_Bloody_Sundae

November 22nd, 2009, 04:09 AM

Is 500 Walnut on hold, or will it eventually be built? Does anyone know?

quigley

November 22nd, 2009, 06:34 AM

Is 500 Walnut on hold, or will it eventually be built? Does anyone know?

I was wondering the same thing. It's a great infill project, and that corner really needs some density.

CorrND

December 15th, 2009, 03:12 PM

At this rate, the Trail will be fully funded in, oh, 2021. Granted, 2009 was not a good year for charitable giving, but this is not good.

From the Trail Talk email newsletter:

Gifts exceed $1 million in 2009

The Cultural Trail is a unique project for many reasons. One of the biggest and most important reasons why it is different from other urban trails around the world is the fact that private individuals, foundations and businesses are paying for most of it through charitable contributions. To date, we have raised $43 million of our $55 million goal mostly from these generous gifts. Thank you for sharing our vision for Indianapolis.

GarfieldPark

December 15th, 2009, 06:07 PM

Or you could look at it another way, that - in about seven or eight years, since planning first started -- the people behind this have raised a little over 78% of their goal.

It'll be interesting to see how this project keeps moving forward. Since the IUPUI campus re-make plan is still coming together - they are delaying that portion of the trail project. They'll finish the NE and North corridors soon, start working on the SE corridor next year - and hopefully the southern route along Washington Street as well in the next year or two. I believe funds tied in with the Convention Center / LOS facility may be used to build the Capitol Avenue segment, from Washington St down to South Street. I believe Lilly wants to see this connect into their campus as well -- and, I'm not sure about this -- but there may be some funds from Lilly or the Lilly endowment that could help get that part completed. To finish the route through the IUPUI campus -- I'm thinking it makes sense that some kind of match may also be provided by the state / IUPUI. I mean - since they will be re-doing streets and walkways and buildings anyway -- they ought to just make these improvements as part of their campus update process. Hopefully with all of these partners chipping in -- the funding will be able to come together. Maybe there's someone else out there like the Glicks that might be able to help with a few more million.

CorrND

December 15th, 2009, 08:09 PM

Unless they get a single donor to step up and put a lot of money into the project -- and somehow get their name attached to it -- I don't see how they're going to hit $55 by 2012. My guess is that the first corridor on the chopping/postponing block is the SE Corridor to Fountain Square (despite their promises that this wouldn't happen).

I've mentioned this before, but they've gotten $15M from the federal grant, $15M from the Glicks and just $13M of the remaining $25M they need to finish the project. They basically need to double their "small pot" donations to hit their goal.

GarfieldPark

December 15th, 2009, 11:10 PM

^^ Why should they chop off the segment to Fountain Square? Really curious if you have any good reasoning behind saying that. Why not the section through IUPUI? Why not the segment along Washington Street? Why not the section through WRSP? Just curious. And if I seem angry -- I am. I sense a bias against the South Side (again). Don't you think it would be appropriate to help the Fountain Square area continue to grow by linking it in to the Cultural Trail and downtown?

Lets see where the bulk of the investment in trails has already occurred --- The Monon - from downtown north to Carmel and beyond; Fall Creek Trail - from the near north side to the Northeast side; the White River Trail - from the west side of downtown to the north side of Indianapolis; Canal tow-path - from west 30th street to Broad Ripple (north side). About the only trail related thing to be built on the south side is the Pleasant Run Trail - which starts on the east side and runs southwesterly to the near south side - running into Garfield Park. Bike lanes have gone in on New York and Michigan Streets (downtown running to the near east and near west sides); Also - Allisonville Road (Northeast side) is currently getting bike lanes.

I would think this previous bias against the south side should be kept in mind when considering any "cuts". I think the IUPUI segment makes the most sense as a section to cut. They could easily just put in a lower cost bike lane along Blackford - and there's nothing in the way. Lots of parking lots to the east of Blackford. They could do that without spending millions - and it wouldn't hurt the area. The campus is going to continue growing no matter what. Then, once the corridor crosses New York St. - you're in WRSP. That area would also do fine without spending a lot of money on turning existing pathways into cultural Trail level corridors. I ride my bike around WRSP all the time - and do fine without having the high level of design proposed by the Cultural Trail.

Fountain Square on the other hand clearly needs to be connected. The area has struggled for 30 years trying to stabilize itself and is finally getting close. I know that a good portion of the most recent development plans have been based on knowing there will be a future connection with the Cultural Trail. New apartments and mixed use developments are being planned. The new Indpls Museum of Contemporary Art, more nightclubs, a winery, a cabaret, other businesses ... It would be very wrong to cut that segment.

Really curious to know if you have any good reasoning behind thinking that the Southern segment to Fountain Square is the one that should be cut CorrND? Or is it just some internal bias (either your own - or the folks making the decisions with the Cultural Trail oversight committee) that places this negativity against the south side -- thinking perhaps that it isn't deserving enough to get the same things that are good enough for the north side?

I'll end my diatribe here --- but seriously, there must have been something that made you think that way - to say that the Fountain Square segment would likely be cut when there are several other options you could have chosen as segments that might make sense to be cut as well.

CorrND

December 16th, 2009, 12:41 AM

Woah, sorry about that! Didn't mean to imply anything negative against the southside. And I probably should have been clearer in my writing -- I don't really think anything will ultimately be nixed.

My only reason for thinking the SE corridor could be postponed (if anything is postponed) is that it's comparatively gigantic.

Of the 4 corridors left to be built:

Capitol Corridor - separately and completely funded
Central Corridor - too critical to be cut (it includes two pieces of the Glick Peace Walk) plus it's relatively small
West Corridor - pretty big, but much of it uses the existing canal path that involves no major changes and relatively low cost (I've heard they plan to use medallions on the canal path). The Blackford St. segment is already delayed, so I agree with you, that could also be a candidate for even longer-term delay.
SE Corridor -- as noted, VERY large compared to other segments.

GarfieldPark

December 16th, 2009, 02:03 AM

Well ----- thanks. All I can say is ---They better not try to cut the Fountain Square segment. We'll gather the neighbors from all over the south side and storm the offices of the Cultural Trail development committee! I kind of understand your thinking - that it is a very long segment -- however -- I don't care. If anything gets cut, it better be the segment along Blackford St - through the IUPUI campus -- and parts that go through White River State Park. There's already been so much government money spent in those areas -- if they have to wait an extra 5 - 10 years - or however long - for their part of the cultural trail to get built, they'll just have to do it. The Fountain Square corridor had absolutely, better not get cut.

cwilson758

December 16th, 2009, 04:06 PM

IMO, the Fountain Sq segment is the one that will benefit its area the most. I agree with Garfield Park's assesment that the IUPUI segment should be cut if anything is....

EddieB317

December 16th, 2009, 05:41 PM

I hope none of it has to be all out cut. ;)

CorrND

December 16th, 2009, 08:28 PM

Just to be clear: I DO NOT THINK ANY PART OF THE TRAIL WILL BE CUT.

I really should have been more careful the way I worded that comment. I'm just worried about their rate of charitable contributions for the past couple years relative to their construction schedule. Unless contributions significantly increase, the construction schedule must slide.

I've been tracking the financial situation for a while. Here are some comments I've left in this thread:

September 13, 2007
That's terrible. If you ask me, I think the trail is very quietly having budget problems.
In reference to losing Emily Kennerk's "marbles" art piece.

November 7, 2007
The Cultural Trail is being funded by a public-private partnership. There is a total budget of $50M, $15M of which came from a Federal Transportation grant earmarked for non-highway projects (I forget the exact designation). The city had a part in applying for and getting that money. The trail boosters like to point out that no local tax money went into the project, but just because it wasn't local doesn't mean our tax dollars aren't going into it.

As for the private side, I think they've raised about $25M in private donations so far -- with $15M from the Glick's. Aside from the Glick's and the Federal grant, they've only raised $10M and need $10M more. That's a lot of small donations left to collect.

March 20, 2009
The new Cultural Trail newsletter came out today. Their budget has silently increased by almost 10%.
The budget increased from $50M to $55M in early 2009.

Consider those last two posts together. In November 7, 2007, they had a budget of $50M and had raised $40M, a $10M shortfall. Now they have a budget of $55M and have raised $43M, a $12M shortfall. In a little over two years, they've actually fallen behind budget by an additional $2M.

AmericanDirt

December 16th, 2009, 11:23 PM

I, too, firmly believe that the Virginia Avenue portion of the Cultural Trail could exert the greatest economic impact and would like to see it placed at a high priority. That said, it might incur the greatest delays not only because of its length, but because resurfacing costs are likely to be higher on the Virginia Avenue viaduct than anywhere else.

Given the fact that the Glicks could never have anticipated back in 2002 that we'd hit the worst financial crisis since the Great Depression in the later part of the decade, I'd say that the meager stream of private donations is to be expected. Most projects that fit a similar construction schedule would likely suffer the same setbacks. As the economy improves and more of the Trail is built, its visibility could bolster further support for future major donations. Let's see if in a few years I'm ready to eat my words.

k2h

January 26th, 2010, 06:31 AM

Where will our next big idea come from? (http://indyculturaltrail.org/blog/2010/01/where-will-our-next-big-idea-come-from/)

http://indyculturaltrail.org/blog/

January 15th, 2010

by Brian Payne, President, Central Indiana Community Foundation
The first questions most people ask me about the Cultural Trail are:
“Where did the idea come from? How did it start?”
In 2001, the Cultural Development Commission was formed and Mayor Peterson appointed me as one of nine commissioners. Our charge was to develop ways to position Indianapolis nationally and globally as a cultural destination city, as well as to make Indianapolis a city of choice for the world’s best talent when looking for a place to live and work.
Our first strategy established the six cultural districts: Mass Ave, Indiana Ave., the Canal and White River State Park, the Wholesale District, Fountain Square and Broad Ripple Village. The Cultural District program promotes walkable areas of town that feature several arts, cultural, heritage, sports and entertainment venues. These areas or districts offer both residents and visitors the opportunity to experience places and neighborhoods versus singular venues. While promoting this idea, I kept hearing from my colleagues, donors to the foundation and board members that the districts needed to be connected somehow to really work.
That spring, I joined thousands of walkers, joggers, roller-bladers, strollers and cyclists on one of the first beautiful days in April on the Monon Trail. As I strolled my young son along the trail, I thought: “Why couldn’t we build an urban version of the Monon downtown to connect the Cultural Districts?”
The more I thought about it, the more excited I became. The more I talked to young people and families moving to Indianapolis, the more I heard that the Monon Trail was one of their most valued assets in Indianapolis. Over time, after literally hundreds of conversations and generous financial support, it has become a reality. I’ll admit: it is so much more than I ever initially envisioned. As the Cultural Trail vision has grown due to the involvement and creativity of hundreds of partners and supporters, so too have our ambitions. We now know that the Cultural Trail will not only change the landscape of a city, but also the values of its people.
The real lesson from this story is that the idea of the Cultural Trail was inspired by something we already have and that already works well – the Monon Trail and our greenway trail system.
It begs the question: What else do we value so highly, already works well and could be leveraged into the next big idea for Indianapolis? Send us your thoughts.

ablerock

February 17th, 2010, 08:26 PM

Trail snags $20.5 million in federal funding:

http://www.ibj.com/cultural-trail-snags-205-million-stimulus-boost-/PARAMS/article/18156

CorrND

February 18th, 2010, 03:24 PM

I'm ecstatic that the trail is now fully funded! The additional money to completely rebuild the roads that the Cultural Trail shares is a welcome boost.

Thinking outside the box: I wonder if they'll consider the route of the proposed light rail line on Washington when they do construction on the Central Corridor. It would be a shame to completely rebuild Washington only to have it ripped out again some years later for the light rail line.

Also, Brian Payne confirmed my suspicions that the trail construction schedule was in danger of being significantly delayed if not for a huge windfall such as this federal grant:

"Without the grant, the date could have been pushed back as far as 2015, said Brian Payne, president of the Central Indiana Community Foundation and the driving force behind the Cultural Trail.

....

Later, $12 million was raised privately, $8 million less than trail officials had expected. The city chipped in $18.5 million in federal Department of Transportation money.

That clinched the deal for the trail, but even without the grant, Payne said he would have pressed on with trying to raise private funds. He would have succeeded, he said, "but it would take longer" -- perhaps another five years."

http://www.indystar.com/article/20100218/LOCAL18/2180443

cwilson758

February 18th, 2010, 04:15 PM

The funding is great news and means that the Virginia Ave portion will start soon. This is going to completely change Fountain Sq and Fletcher Place...and I think Fletcher Place will benefit the most. There is a good collection of old mixed-use structures from East St to I-65/70 and the Trail is sure to spur increased development.

cailes

February 18th, 2010, 08:25 PM

I was tracing the route on google map this morning and there was something that I noticed.

There is no real tool on google maps (or bing maps or other) that would denote something like the cultural trail. There are dedicated rail road types of markings and obviously streets are covered.

I wonder if there is a way to get greenways covered properly by google maps? Or maybe it has and I dont know how to figure it out...

The indy greenway maps suck too. They are far out of date. Youd think someone would have the time to update them

GarfieldPark

February 18th, 2010, 10:03 PM

^^Have you looked at the combined Greenways, Bike Lanes and Cultural Trail plans on the Sustain Indy website? It seems pretty current --- and shows the plans for expansion over the next decade. http://www.sustainindy.org/bikeways-plans-and-maps.cfm

It only shows Marion County though -- so you can't see the extended greenway corridors in surrounding counties like the Monon in Hamilton Co; the B&O Trail in Hendricks Co.; The Pennsy Trail in Hancock County; the Vandalia Trail in southern Hendricks County -- plus all of the local mixed use paths all over the place in suburban Counties.

arenn

February 18th, 2010, 11:15 PM

They are still showing the lollipop on their map, alas

Lop the Lollipop!

CorrND

February 18th, 2010, 11:40 PM

They are still showing the lollipop on their map, alas

Lop the Lollipop!
Hilarious -- not 30 minutes ago I was searching old threads for some info and came across the Lop the Lollipop comment!

One downside to being fully funded is that they now have zero motivation to do so.

GarfieldPark

February 19th, 2010, 12:12 AM

Maybe (hopefully) they'll just be able to use some of the "extra" money to fix up deteriorating areas around the circle. I was walking through that area earlier today -- and a lot of those bricks are starting to get pretty worn out! I can't see them doing anything like putting paving blocks (like they've installed along Alabama Street) on the Circle. That just wouldn't happen.

cailes

April 27th, 2010, 04:32 PM

Mass Ave:
http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4029/4557834918_31f950dbd0.jpg

http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4035/4557202141_fa52e47b66.jpg

Senate Ave: (something really needs to happen with this building, its in a great spot)
http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3261/4557825710_03787283a1.jpg

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3327/4557194489_d7eab55935.jpg

http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4023/4557195291_dab15460e2.jpg

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3334/4557829036_8a19cd71e4.jpg

cwilson758

April 28th, 2010, 08:48 PM

It seems that the Mass Ave portion is taking FOREVER!!! I can only imagine what it will take to get Virginia completed.

This project is amazing. The impact that this is having along the corridor is spectacular.

cailes

April 28th, 2010, 09:03 PM

The one thing to note though is that since they finally got busting on Mass Ave, it has really moved along swiftly. The curbs were poured quickly and they seem to be getting things in line. I too, cannot wait to get it done. Once it is done, my wife will feel a little better about me riding to school from Broad Ripple. LOL

CorrND

April 28th, 2010, 10:37 PM

Once they actually start construction on an area, I'm always impressed how quickly they move. My impression is that the extended closures of Mass Ave and the St. Clair were because those areas were being used to stage construction materials and store equipment. It's unfortunate but I suppose that had to be done somewhere. And I've certainly voiced my displeasure at the asinine complete closure of St. Clair for 7 months and counting.

The thing that ticks me off is that all the pain could have been mitigated if more thorough planning had been done in advance. In the case of St. Clair, the Cultural Trail segment got built and the road was shifted rather quickly. The problem was that the shifting of the road bed left utility poles exposed in the middle of the street and IPL wasn't prepared to remove the poles at the same time that construction was going on. Therefore, construction ceased for the winter, the poles stayed where they were and the road had to remain closed. If the Cultural Trail had just coordinated construction with IPL, that wouldn't have happened. Now, the polls have been removed but the construction process is back on, so the road STILL has to remain closed.

Ridiculous. And you know, I might have felt a little better about all of this if the Cultural Trail people communicated AT ALL with our community. They don't even respond to my emails anymore.

cailes

April 29th, 2010, 06:12 PM

CorrND

April 29th, 2010, 08:09 PM

ive been able to trade emails with Mrs Payne pretty regularly. In fact, she sent me some pdf files of the the engineering prints for some sections. She was pretty helpful.

Ive noticed that their website hasnt been updated in a while though with construction updates or timelines. It would be nice to see the schedule in plain english on their website.

And am I correct on this: An Ohio contractor is handling the construction?

I agree with you 100%. A good plan laid out with all people involved would have been nice. I would think someone directing a multi-million dollar project like this would have thought of that... Im a peon and can figure that much out... just sayin
Gail used to quickly respond to my messages. Maybe they're getting tons of emails about the road closures and are blanket ignoring them because there's nothing they can do. I don't know.

I can say that any suggestions I've ever made have proceeded exactly as Aaron said recently: they're very nice and listen thoughtfully to you -- and maybe they even commend you for a good suggestion -- and then nothing changes.

(EDIT) Consider this regarding their communication: they held a meeting, which I attended, with the Ransom Place Neighborhood Association, a group representing the 115-ish homes in that neighborhood. My apartment complex has nearly four times that many residences -- Gardens of Canal Court is 421 units -- and only has two ways in and out, one of which is DIRECTLY on the Cultural Trail. They never held a meeting with residents to discuss the plans or construction timeline.

Apologies, I'm all riled up for the moment.

cailes

April 29th, 2010, 08:15 PM

Did you know that they dont even have authority over the Capitol Ave section of the trail? It is all left up to the convention center to construct. She couldnt even give me any engineering prints for that section. She couldnt give me much more information about that, but I think it's packaged in with the reconstruction going on. I havent peaked over the barriers downtown yet, but I suspect that may be what is going on there right now....

There are some interesting things surrounding the trail and the minor details behind getting it done.

EDIT: As for people listening, I am not about to give up. One thing Aaron also wrote was that you have to keep on these people. He wrote on his page about someone who showed up for repeated lunch meetings with people who never showed, but finally did after umpteen number of visits. Enough squeeky wheels like that... well you get the point.

cailes

May 18th, 2010, 09:39 PM

In regards to the old building @ Senate & The Trail, I thought I would highlight this post from today.
http://brokensidewalk.com/2010/05/18/it-takes-a-lot-before-a-building-cant-be-saved/?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+BrokenSidewalk+%28Broken+Sidewalk%29

Pretty interesting story that closely applies.

GarfieldPark

May 18th, 2010, 10:31 PM

^^ Although thankfully, that building at Senate and the Trail looks like it is solid as a rock. I walked by there a few days ago. It would be fantastic. It has large first floor doorways or window openings (currently bricked up with concrete blocks) that could open directly along the side of the trail. They could put in a restaurant or two and a bar like MacNivens - with roll-up garage door "windows". Have a big area for bike parking. A couple levels of loft apartments. Hope it happens.

CorrND

May 18th, 2010, 10:55 PM

Buggs Temple is also a perfect example of refurbing a dump. You just need the right person willing to invest the time and money. Oh, and having a city willing to sell the building to a redevelopment group for $1 also helps.

Buggs was literally gutted and a steel frame structure built on the inside of the old brick exterior. Halstead Architects has a great site about the effort:

http://www.halstead-architects.com/buggs.html

I busted into the construction site way back when and took some pictures from the concrete basement up into the building. It was amazing, reinforcing beams angling all over the place holding up the exterior while the middle was just an empty cavern all the way to the roof.

Unfortunately, though I've search for the pictures on my computer about a hundred times, they appear to be gone forever. I'll look again tonight for the 101st time.

cailes

May 19th, 2010, 03:30 PM

Buggs temple is a FANTASTIC looking building too.

EddieB317

May 22nd, 2010, 02:22 AM

Mass ave, Davidson, Bellfontaine intersection

http://lh5.ggpht.com/_weBy68KZy-I/S_cNXTWEu1I/AAAAAAAAEmo/iIu-1yRod9w/s640/photo%205.jpg

http://lh4.ggpht.com/_weBy68KZy-I/S_cNW3cFhwI/AAAAAAAAEmg/AHx1hNbrS3g/s640/photo%203.jpg

http://lh6.ggpht.com/_weBy68KZy-I/S_cNkPAmJWI/AAAAAAAAEm0/_u7dY0VO7jg/s640/photo%202.jpg

http://lh6.ggpht.com/_weBy68KZy-I/S_cNkLkG0tI/AAAAAAAAEmw/MO0uk2WZda8/s640/photo.jpg

http://lh3.ggpht.com/_weBy68KZy-I/S_cNWtct8OI/AAAAAAAAEmc/kge2k2VTn_0/s512/photo%202.jpg http://lh6.ggpht.com/_weBy68KZy-I/S_cNWUsR4uI/AAAAAAAAEmY/LrEqIkwYNcQ/s512/photo.jpg

k2h

May 25th, 2010, 05:46 AM

http://www.indyculturaltrail.org/events2.html

North Corridor Ribbon-Cutting Fri., June 18, 10 a.m.
Canal (on Walnut St. just west of Senate Ave.)

Mayor Greg Ballard and CICF President Brian Payne will officially open another mile of the Cultural Trail connecting the American Legion Mall, Canal and White River State Park, Ransom Place historic neighborhood and Indiana Ave. The Frank and Katrina Basile Corridor, on Walnut St. from Capitol Ave. to the Canal, also will be dedicated. Other speakers include: Christopher Barney, chairman of the Madame Walker Theatre Board of Directors, Dr. Lisa Harris, President and CEO of Wishard Health Services and Matt Gutwein, President and CEO of Marion County Health and Hospital Corp. Congressman Andre Carson has been invited.

FREE FOOD AND PEDOMETERS!
Get yummy treats from Creation Cafe and a pedometer, courtesy of Wishard Health Services (while supplies last).

Glick Peace Walk Unveiling & Illumination Ceremony Wed., June 30, 8:00 p.m.
(Walnut St. from Meridian St. to Capitol Ave.)

In addition to Gene and Marilyn's $15 million gift to the Cultural Trail, they also gave $2 million to honor 14 great American individuals who dedicated their lives to peaceful pursuits and forever changed the world. The Glick Peace Walk runs along side the Cultural Trail on Walnut St. where 10 sculpture or luminary gardens have been installed. Each garden tells that person's story artistically through intricate images laid in granite terrazo, their lifetime highlighted with points of light, and a magnificent portrait etched in glass framed by a custom-made stainless steel sculpture.

Before dusk, each person will be honored and his/her garden unveiled and illuminated. Following the ceremony, the Indianapolis Children's Choir will lead us in "Let There Be Peace On Earth" by candlelight.

Two additional gardens will be located on Washington St. as ambassadors to the Glick Peace Walk: Abraham Lincoln (Capitol Ave.) and Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. (Pennsylvania St.).

For more information contact Gail Payne, 317.713.3333.

vitamin R

May 25th, 2010, 06:21 AM

Taking into account what is a rather modest investment compared to other downtown projects: IMO is already having significant impact. The potential cost benefits of this project are incredible to say the least. Not just from the angle of dollars and cents, but in how it influences and impacts the areas adjacent to it in terms of future development. However, it's most significant impact may be in forming the first tangible building block in creating a more pedestrian friendly Indianapolis.

cwilson758

May 25th, 2010, 10:25 PM

FYI...yesterday we rode downtown from my house (Kessler & Binford) via the F.C. greenway and the Monon. We decided to stop in the Metro to re-hydrate. We went to the back patio area with our pitcher of soda and water and while we were sitting there, I couldn't help but think of a major opportunity they have. I don't know how many of you have been to the Metro, but they have a great outdoor patio area; however, it is completely fenced in with a 6-foot tall privacy fence. Granted, when the patio was built, there was a need for the fence...security. Mass Ave was no where near what it is today. Now the trail runs along this fence and the patio area is opposite Chatham Tap's patio (across from the Trail). We were the only people on Metro's patio, yet Chatham's was completely full. As we were leaving I asked the bartender if anyone has mentioned opening the patio once the Trail is completed. It just so happens the owner was sitting there and he said that people have, but he thought it was more importnat for people to have privacy. I mentioned that they wouldn't have to remove the entire fence, just cut half of it down (basically make the fence 3 feet tall for about a 10-foot segment) and leave the rest of the fence. I told him that they were about to have "front door" access on downtown's busiest pedestrian street and that most restaurant/bars/pubs would kill for that visibility. I mentioned that people would be able to "people watch" yet also have privacy and that the Metro could benefit with Chatham Taps patio being opposite trail...they could get spill over business if Chatham's patio became too full. Metro also serves food (which isn't bad...it's bar food) and the two patios would be very close to each other, almost creating an entire outdoor dining area seperated by just a 10-foot trail.

ANYWAY, any of you who visit the Metro or have any ability to mention a golden opportunity to the owner, I would ask that you do so. That stretch of the Trail (that cuts behind the businesses) will be so cool once completed.

GarfieldPark

May 25th, 2010, 11:22 PM

Sounds good Cory. I was thinking the same thing a while ago. Chatham Tap's outdoor patio will become an even better space when the trail opens and is going right by. Metro should do the same thing. I believe the same situation will happen with the new restaurant that is taking over the Scholar's Inn space (don't know the name right now). They've got a great back patio area as well. A picture somewhere in this thread or in the Indpls development thread from six or seven months ago shows a great shot of this alley area as it existed back then.

ablerock

May 26th, 2010, 06:03 PM

UrbanIndy

June 15th, 2010, 03:52 PM

Nice historic panels (http://www.indyculturaltrail.info/assets/NE%20Interpretive%20Historic%20Panels.pdf) to be placed in Chatham Arch.

cailes

June 15th, 2010, 04:32 PM

That is pretty slick. Thanks for the link Kev :)

socrates#1fan

June 15th, 2010, 06:32 PM

Am I the only one who thinks that fountain should be restored? :cheers:

cailes

June 15th, 2010, 06:33 PM

EddieB317

June 15th, 2010, 06:38 PM

New Pics of The East End.

http://lh6.ggpht.com/_weBy68KZy-I/TBedh2WnJsI/AAAAAAAAEos/WM2SvGTPnO4/s512/photo%203.jpg http://lh4.ggpht.com/_weBy68KZy-I/TBedh1RFe4I/AAAAAAAAEoo/6lNLArmgNME/s512/photo%202.jpg

http://lh4.ggpht.com/_weBy68KZy-I/TBedhpZCV2I/AAAAAAAAEok/OSc-Cx1JNTE/s512/photo.jpg

Joe's Cycles is expanding to 884 Mass Ave! Should be opening in a week or two. Also, look for another Fountain Square fav coming to The East End very soon!
http://lh6.ggpht.com/_weBy68KZy-I/TBediDgCReI/AAAAAAAAEow/vatwkthJzuI/s720/photo%204.jpg

cailes

June 15th, 2010, 07:21 PM

HUZAH!! THAT is FANTASTIC news!!

Thanks for the pics Eddie. We were down there last week, and didnt see the pavers. Starting to get a lot closer finally.

CorrND

June 15th, 2010, 07:28 PM

New Pics of The East End.

Joe's Cycles is expanding to 884 Mass Ave! Should be opening in a week or two. Also, look for another Fountain Square fav coming to The East End very soon!
Sweet! Joe's should be opening just in time to get my bike tuned up from my accident and get back out there. There was briefly a bike shop out on the East End several years ago but I don't remember the name. Was it Joe?

SpiderMonkey

June 15th, 2010, 10:53 PM

I believe it was a Bike Line that used to be down there, they have a location in Broad Ripple too.

CorrND

June 15th, 2010, 11:00 PM

Yeah, that sounds right. It was way out on that spur before Mass Ave dead ends at 65/70.

pig

June 16th, 2010, 12:53 AM

Yeah, it was definitely Bike Line. I bought a bike there just before they closed.

IndyYeah

June 16th, 2010, 03:31 AM

Sweet! Joe's should be opening just in time to get my bike tuned up from my accident and get back out there. There was briefly a bike shop out on the East End several years ago but I don't remember the name. Was it Joe?

Hey forgive me on my lack of knowledge, but I am always on the south end of Mass Av, by Toy store area. Is this place more north, away from Stouts and such? That break sectioned area that I never go to, that is still Mass Avenue right?

CorrND

June 16th, 2010, 04:26 AM

Hey forgive me on my lack of knowledge, but I am always on the south end of Mass Av, by Toy store area. Is this place more north, away from Stouts and such? That break sectioned area that I never go to, that is still Mass Avenue right?
Yeah, the end out NE past College where Mass Ave Wine Shop, R Bistro, etc. are is usually called the East End. The particular spot we're talking about is where Mass Ave bends north into Bellafontaine before it terminates at 10th St. There's an old spur of Mass Ave beyond that bend that is basically a parking lot for the couple buildings that remain out there. Bike Line used to be there and most recently Mass Ave Video was out there but even they closed. It's a tough location.

Matt986

June 16th, 2010, 09:10 PM

Yeah, it was definitely Bike Line. I bought a bike there just before they closed.

I bought a bike from them as well. My wife and I spent a fair amount of money there trying to support them as the lone downtown bike shop at that time. The problem was that we had more bad experiences (terrible workmanship on a bike tune-up, being flat out lied to, etc.) than good. We stopped going there. I have to wonder if it was only the location that did them in.

We love Joe's and have been supporting him since he first opened. His skill with bikes is second to none in this city. You also have to love his vision for his business and his integrity as a business man. He's got a great crew around him as well. Way to go, Joe!

GarfieldPark

June 17th, 2010, 12:18 AM

That is great for Joe! Two locations downtown - both right on the Cultural Trail. He'll get people stopping in from both directions - north and south. I go to Joe's also - and love the place. I just hope there won't be too much of a shift of people from the south store to the north store - such that it would thin out the crowd that hangs out at Joe's Bike Shop / Coffee Pub in Fountain Square. Hopefully he'll just attract a whole new crowd to hang out at the new Mass Avenue location and keep the same good crowd at the South store.

GarfieldPark

June 17th, 2010, 12:30 AM

Housing Update from the NW part of downtown. Progress continues on the demolition of the former YMCA at 10th and Indiana Avenue. It looks like most of the remaining structure should be pretty much gone in another few days (if not sooner). A few blocks further NW on Indiana Avenue - the other site planned for new apartments is all cleared and it looked like they were installing utilities the other day when I drove by. It'll be great to see a few hundred new apartments hit the market in that area in another year and a half or so.

Slowly but steadily the project going in at Capitol and St. Clair is looking a little better. I think when they add the balconies it will continue to improve the look. Its not going to be anything fabulous or cutting edge - but it definitely will add to the urbanity of that Capitol Avenue corridor. There was a proposal to build another apartment building - about six stories I believe - along the east side of Capitol between Michigan and North - that was supposed to have between 200 - 250 units. If that happens - and the last big parcel along the canal gets developed with more residential as was mentioned in someone's recent post (east side of canal just north of St. Clair) there would be over 1000 new residential units going in on the NW side of downtown within a few years - including the Cosmopolitan as well. Hope we get to hear more news about any and all of these projects in the near future.

GarfieldPark

June 17th, 2010, 06:11 AM

^^ Whoops-- should have put that in the Indianapolis Development Thread. I'll copy it and paste it there. I guess it kind of evens out though since we were talking a lot about the Cultural Trail in the Indianapolis Development thread.

Wu-Gambino

June 19th, 2010, 03:44 PM

http://www.indystar.com/article/20100619/LOCAL/6190341/Newest-section-of-Cultural-Trail-opens

Another link opened along Cultural Trail
Star report
Posted: June 19, 2010

City leaders on Friday celebrated the opening of the newest section of the Indianapolis Cultural Trail, calling it another step toward making the city one of the most sustainable and livable in the U.S.

The one-mile, $7.3 million North Corridor -- the third of seven construction phases -- connects the completed trail on Alabama Street from North Street to American Legion Mall, Walnut Street, the Downtown Canal, and St. Clair Street to Indiana Avenue.

"Creating opportunities for our residents to bike and walk around our City helps to increase the connectivity between our neighborhoods, while this growing network of pedestrian and bicycle paths is a resource that helps our continued economic growth," Mayor Greg Ballard said in a news release.

The trail is the brainchild of Central Indiana Community Foundation President Brian Payne, who has led this project since 2001.

"The Indianapolis Cultural Trail has catapulted Indianapolis into the global consciousness as a leader in urban trail design, transportation infrastructure and as one of the most livable communities in the country," he said in the release.

A portion of the North Corridor, on Walnut from Capitol Avenue to the canal, has been named for Frank and Katrina Basile, who donated $500,000 to the project.
"This trail will enable both locals and visitors to walk or bike our entire downtown area while seeing most of the major museums and other icons along the way," Frank Basile said in the release.

When completed by the end of 2011, the Cultural Trail will stretch eight miles and connect the five Downtown cultural districts.
Construction will begin soon on two blocks: Alabama from Market Street to Washington Street; and Capitol from Washington to Maryland Street, the release said.

cwilson758

June 24th, 2010, 05:46 PM

So, we took a ride on the newest segments of the Trail last night and you really get the idea of how this is going to change Indy! It is nothing short of AMAZING and beautiful. The "Peace Walk" is going to be special and I can't wait for this thing to be completed.

GarfieldPark

June 25th, 2010, 04:08 AM

When you're coming from the West along the segment NW of the Canal alongside St. Clair Street - and then turn the corner to head South and have the view overlooking the central canal basin, the plaza area around the USS Indpls memorial, the arched, green pedestrian bridge, and the Watermark, Cosmopolitan and Canal Gardens developments fronting the canal -- with the skyline right behind it --- it is a very nice view. Its kind of surprising the way it all just suddenly opens up in front of you - as you're looking through the trees and other nice landscaping at the top of the hill there. Really nice. (Now if someone just had a camera and could take a picture of that shot, it would be even better. :)

Indy Rock

June 25th, 2010, 09:45 AM

I haven't been to Indy in a couple months (terrible I know) & haven't been downtown in even longer unfortunately. However, I have a very bizarre question about the Cultural Trail... How does it look where it cuts thru the American Legion Mall? Are there pavers there and how does it complement the surrounding park? Any comments and/or photos would be greatly appreciated! Thank you. :)

cailes

June 25th, 2010, 01:54 PM

Well, it doesnt really. They have not dug up anything. At least not as of a couple weeks ago, the last time I was through there.

I am not sure what the plan is, but the existing sidewalks through there are as wide as the trail, I have a feeling maybe it will be just signage erected? Im not really sure...

CorrND

June 25th, 2010, 04:34 PM

Early on, the planners stated that they didn't want to disrupt the feel of the area by having the full-on trail treatment cut right through the middle of the Mall. Their plan was for medallions to indicate the path of the trail, but like Curt, I haven't been through there recently to see what they did in the end.

That decision also cut out the cost of building 4+ blocks of trail. :)

EddieB317

June 25th, 2010, 05:38 PM

I walked the section that includes the ALM and there is nothing indicating where to reconnect to the trail. I would think they will make the connection more obvious, but nothing as of yesterday.

ablerock

June 25th, 2010, 05:56 PM

I walked the section that includes the ALM and there is nothing indicating where to reconnect to the trail. I would think they will make the connection more obvious, but nothing as of yesterday.

The stretch along Meridian and the ghost stretch through the American Legion Mall are by far the weakest of the trail. The section along Meridan looks like a glorified sidewalk that just ends at the Library. It's barely different than what was there before, they just added pavers. And the section through the mall is just lame. It's going to be very confusing for people.

They should have had the trail go up Pennsylvania and then cut directly in front of the library with all the works. It would've been very powerful to ride by the library on a proper bit of Cultural Trail. The buildings along Penn have a lot of potential and would've been activated by the trail. As it is now, it's just a whisper of a path and really detracts from the overall experience. I'm afraid people are going to be confused easily in this section.

CorrND

June 25th, 2010, 06:01 PM

The stretch along Meridian and the ghost stretch through the American Legion Mall are by far the weakest of the trail. The section along Meridan looks like a glorified sidewalk that just ends at the Library. It's barely different than what was there before, they just added pavers. And the section through the mall is just lame. It's going to be very confusing for people.

They should have had the trail go up Pennsylvania and then cut directly in front of the library with all the works. It would've been very powerful to ride by the library on a proper bit of Cultural Trail. The buildings along Penn have a lot of potential and would've been activated by the trail. As it is now, it's just a whisper of a path and really detracts from the overall experience. I'm afraid people are going to be confused easily in this section.
That Penn/St. Clair routing would be awesome. Theoretically, there's no reason they couldn't still do that at some point in the future.

Like the Circle -- which several of us agree there's no reason to specifically route the trail -- no one is going to miss the Mall. You just need to run the trail near a site like that and people that want to explore will explore.

cailes

June 25th, 2010, 06:30 PM

I can tell you that ive looked at the maps and feel like I have a general feel of where it is and I STILL had trouble finding out how to get around the mall from North street over to the peace walk. It is not indicated anywhere.

I sure hope they do something to make it easier to understand. Like I said, once you know the area, its quite simple. But for a visitor, its completely ambiguous

GarfieldPark

June 26th, 2010, 07:00 AM

So when's the next Cultural Trail lunchtime update? That would be a good question to ask. Unfortuanately I think I read that the June and July lunchtime updates were cancelled.

EddieB317

June 30th, 2010, 10:31 PM

I noticed these on the way to the library today. They are newer and do not have any placards yet. I am willing to bet that they will be the nonintrusive markers that link the trail with the ALM.

Standing on the corner of North and Penn
http://lh5.ggpht.com/_weBy68KZy-I/TCuaHjwPkEI/AAAAAAAAEpQ/VQGL5IrurTk/s512/photo%201.JPG
http://lh3.ggpht.com/_weBy68KZy-I/TCuaH5jI_9I/AAAAAAAAEpU/ZW3WR3_fTSw/s640/photo%202.JPG

GarfieldPark

August 25th, 2010, 06:28 AM

Rats ---- I just remembered that I forgot to go to the Cultural Trail meeting tonight (August 24th) to hear about the plans for the route down Virginia Avenue into Fountain Square. Did anyone happen to go? If so --- could you provide an update if there was any new or particularly interesting information provided? Thanks

EddieB317

August 25th, 2010, 03:16 PM

^^I missed that one also...

The East End is really coming together now and the Mass/Walnut/Park intersection is right behind. Very nice and it will change the complexion of that whole area! Dean Johnson, Real Silk, Metro, Yats, Chatam Tap, and the like all won big with this one. That is as long as their rents don't drastically increase.

Go see an IndyFringe show this weekend and check it out!

cailes

August 25th, 2010, 06:04 PM

Im pretty sure dean johnson owns the land they are on. My wife curated their gallery for 3 years and I know the owner pretty well. pretty sure they own the grass lot next to the building as well.

unless the bottom drops out, they arent going anywhere.

EddieB317

August 26th, 2010, 05:56 AM

GarfieldPark

November 20th, 2010, 09:10 AM

Brian Payne was the keynote speaker at a City Centre event in Calgary where he talked about the Cultural Trail. Nice to see the ongoing attention this project is getting. Here is a little blurb talking about his visit up north:

http://www.centrecitytalk.com/my_weblog/2010/10/phew-what-a-phenomenal-day-.html

EddieB317

March 7th, 2011, 03:29 PM

Cultural Trail Already Paying Off- Indy Star (http://www.indystar.com/article/20110305/LOCAL18/303050001/Cultural-Trail-already-paying-off-neighborhoods-shops?odyssey=mod|newswell|text|IndyStar.com|s)

cailes

March 7th, 2011, 05:35 PM

Nabbed a few pics this weekend of the trail worth posting

In front of the Metro
http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5095/5500172501_f6942d72c0_z.jpg

http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5297/5500760706_e26bd1d09d_z.jpg

http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5012/5500758072_558cf2700c_z.jpg

EddieB317

March 7th, 2011, 06:01 PM

This really is one of the best sections of the Trail. I wish there hadn't been so much push back from most of Mass Ave so the trail could have gone further along the Ave. Looks great! Cant wait for the summer to see it getting some "fair weather" use!

cailes

April 7th, 2011, 04:23 PM

Moving fast in Fountain Square
http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5069/5597303181_942b6284f7.jpg

http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5269/5597296477_a7fa751567.jpg

http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5028/5597294183_bd6fed7ee6.jpg

UrbanIndy

April 28th, 2011, 03:57 PM

Public Art proposed (http://www.urbantimesonline.com/2011/04/this-just-in-public-art-project-to-brighten-cultural-trail-in-parking-garage/) for stretch underneath parking garage on Virgina Avenue.

Looks very cool.

GarfieldPark

June 9th, 2011, 12:15 AM

They've got the corridor all dug up now along the east side of Blackford Street - through the IUPUI campus - in preparation for putting down the western segment of the Cultural Trail. After what seemed like a slow period (to put it nicely) in the construction along Virginia Avenue - it seems to be moving along again. They were working on it earlier this afternoon when I drove past.

The Washington Street segment is rolling along pretty well too now. The primary construction zone along Washington Street is between Alabama Street and Pennsylvania Street. I'm very curious to see what the plans are for installing the Cultural Trail in the block between Illinois and Meridian Streets. The parking situation in front of the Conrad always seems to be causing some sort of issue or another. Adding another layer to the mix - even while being able to use the extra right of way width from the reduction in the number of auto lanes - can't help but add more complexity to the area. Maybe reverse angle parking and some added space between the bike lanes and the Conrad parking area might help mitigate the problems in the area. Has anyone seen the design plans for that section?

cailes

June 9th, 2011, 11:13 PM

I havent seen anything for a while as far as plans go.

I did drive down through Fountain Sq on Sunday and was disappointed that nothing had changed since I was there last.... about a month ago.

cailes

July 26th, 2011, 03:11 PM

Blackford St through IUPUI campus
http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6121/5977760658_30c586b4fd_z.jpg

cailes

August 1st, 2011, 03:45 PM

Walked around the Conrad on Saturday with a camera.... you make the call. What's going on here?

http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6017/5991877612_3e04cd0cd9_z.jpg

http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6005/5991284733_bc884ab0ac_z.jpg

Rumble strips indicate a transition.... that scares me.
http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6026/5991282427_07883c0833_z.jpg

The curb kicks in towards the sidewalk here, and on the other side of the Conrad,. never kicks back out. I assume either turn lane or parking where it meets Illinois??
http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6137/5991853514_680f2b2196_z.jpg

http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6122/5991826944_8cf04559ea_z.jpg

aavmarine

August 2nd, 2011, 12:24 AM

Maybe the Conrad kicked in some more money to get something different in front of their hotel, but also keep with the trail standards.

Chadoh25

August 3rd, 2011, 06:09 AM

Looking good!

cailes

August 8th, 2011, 02:25 PM

This was Friday evening

http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6141/6021117119_6ee0268bac_z.jpg

Interesting to note the light colored paver. It matches the normal pavers on either end of the Conrad's portion
http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6013/6021108345_63d8d536cc_z.jpg

EddieB317

August 10th, 2011, 05:11 AM

I heard some interesting news about the virginia ave leg of the trail that is connecting FS to downtown. With the current problems and delays the connecting piece of the trail that isn't currently under construction won't move forward until 2012 unless it can be completed before the super bowl. So... Chances are that we won't see more ground broken till after Feb of 2012.

cailes

August 10th, 2011, 07:00 AM

Not surprised. I read somewhere (maybe here??) that it was going to be 6 months until AT&T would relocate their utilities.

dcesar716

August 20th, 2011, 05:39 PM

http://www.indystar.com/article/20110820/LOCAL18/108200347/Fountain-Square-businesses-hurt-by-Cultural-Trail-construction?odyssey=tab|topnews|text|IndyStar.com

Christine Hsieh opened an Asian grill in Fountain Square because she knew the Cultural Trail would link the district's mix of shops, restaurants and homes to Downtown.

But she never thought construction would be so long and painful.

Business owners were told the section of the eight-mile, $63 million Cultural Trail along Virginia Avenue would be finished by July. But after workers tore up the street in March, little work has been completed.

Kara Brooks, spokeswoman for the Department of Public Works, said Indianapolis-based Hunt Paving uncovered underground bank vaults and trolley tracks, stopping most work until this week. She said the project would be finished by year's end.

Hsieh (pronounced "shoe"), who owns the Naisa Pan-Asian Café, and other business owners are determined to make it that long, but they say it will be tough.

"I'm surviving through this to the end of the year," she said.

Some have not survived. Craig Von Deylen, president of the Fountain Square Merchants Association, said three businesses have closed since construction began: Square Rootz Deli, Wake Press and Gallery, and Venus and Mars. A fourth, Fountain Foliage, has announced it will close.

When construction started on Fountain Square's section of the trail in March, Von Deylen publicly lauded the increased connectivity to Downtown. He never thought construction would stretch this long.

"It makes traffic almost impossible," he said. "We've lost almost all of our street parking in the area and it looks horrible. They sat for six weeks with nothing happening, just weeds growing. It looks like someone dropped a bomb."

Brooks said the city had the trolley tracks and soil tested for hazardous materials, and the results came back clear Thursday. State officials, she said, also have given the green light to remove the tracks, determining there was no need to preserve them for historical reasons.

The bank vaults -- underground rooms that contain materials such as mechanical equipment -- will be reinforced so work on the trail can progress overhead.

"We are being as diligent and efficient as possible," Brooks said. "We understand this has been an inconvenience to residents and business owners. We continue to ask that they be patient."

Businesses are doing what they can to lure customers and cut costs. Thursday, Morgan Hanbury, the kitchen manager at Pure Eatery, put a sidewalk sign out front to try to entice customers past the construction site. Sales are suffering, she said.

"We are incredibly happy the cultural trail is going in," she said. "But they told us July, and now it's August and the work is nowhere near being done."

Jennifer Von Deylen, the owner of IndySwank -- and Craig Von Deylen's wife -- said the lunch crowd has dwindled, leading to less foot traffic for retail businesses like hers. She has cut back on hours and inventory.

"My business is down 50 percent from this time last year," she said.

Down the street at Liquor Cabinet, business also is down. Manager James Allen said hours have been cut, and the chain's 10 other stores have been carrying much of the business load.

"No one comes in except our regulars," he said. "We used to get Downtown traffic, from businessmen driving by."

Business owners along Mass Ave. know what the area is going through.

Regina Mehallick, the owner of R Bistro, said a year and a half of construction was an inconvenience. Since the Cultural Trail has opened, though, it's been a boon -- drawing joggers and bicyclists to her restaurant.

"Now that the construction is over," she said, "I've forgotten about the day-to-day impact of it."

Southeast of Downtown, the story is a little different. Fountain Square is still trying to emerge as a destination to rival Mass Ave. After decades of blight, the district has been drawing independent restaurants, quirky shops and artists' studios.

Hsieh, the Asian grill owner, loves the neighborhood atmosphere and camaraderie among businesses. She thinks word is getting out, and the Cultural Trail will allow Fountain Square to take the next step.

First, her two-year-old business has to weather the construction.

"I believe Fountain Square is going to prosper like Broad Ripple and Mass Ave.," she said. "But it takes time."

Indy'd

November 29th, 2011, 05:53 PM

As of now, the Conrad parks vehicles perpendicular to the trail, construction bollards are placed on either side of the "parking area" and sings are up directing users to dismount from the bike and walk on the sidewalk. I urge everyone who cares to let anyone connected with this project know how disappointing this is. What was supposed to be a world class urban greenway that would seemlessly connect Indy's cultural districts and other biking/pedestrian paths is effectively removed. The sidewalk is quite narrow in that area to begin with and the valet's stand in the way and reverse cars in the space to load/unload bags. This is in addition to the line of cars that just sit in Washington Street itself. If I am not mistaken, the CT removed a vehicle lane for the benefit of humans leaving the Conrad even more space for loading and they have now taken an additional lane of traffic.............Why not just close downt the city so their special clients don't have to look at us?

pig

November 30th, 2011, 01:16 AM

EddieB317

November 30th, 2011, 03:55 AM

Question: Legally does their "parking lot" begin at the edge of their eastern property line (about where the bump out is on the above pictures), or where the brick pattern changes?

cailes

December 1st, 2011, 02:59 AM

Hot off the memory card. Took these tonight.

Lovely...

http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7147/6433690091_64dc66a620_z.jpg

http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7013/6433701215_3c94853a31_z.jpg

http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7028/6433704631_defa6d5f9c_z.jpg

http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7164/6433711687_831395a0fd_z.jpg

http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7162/6433714911_178262d259_z.jpg

http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7143/6433718033_ca21755dd2_z.jpg

http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7144/6433724609_1a32a53a44_z.jpg

http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7174/6433728481_f3541c7b3b_z.jpg

pig

December 1st, 2011, 04:20 AM

Anyone know why they went with double turn lanes onto Illinois?

CorrND

December 1st, 2011, 04:49 AM

Anyone know why they went with double turn lanes onto Illinois?
Clearly: so the Conrad valets could regularly park on the first lane and not disrupt the free-right-flow of vehicles.

GarfieldPark

December 1st, 2011, 05:31 PM

^^ Hopefully the police will watch for this type of thing and give tickets if cars are parked in an active traffic lane.

SpiderMonkey

December 1st, 2011, 07:00 PM

I sent in a complaint to the City and here is the response I recieved from the Community Outreach Coordinator of Department of Public Works.

"Thank you for your email. this has been a continual issue that the City has had since this portion of the Cultural Trail was built. There are ongoing discussions between the Department of Public Works and the Conrad about utilizing the Cultural Trail to Valet vehicles. This is not why this facility was built. The City is hoping to have the issue resolved soon. We appreciate your patience."

Indy'd

December 16th, 2011, 03:58 PM

It is soooo bad. Last night I couldn't squeeze by with a person walking the opposite direction on the actual sidewalk because cars were backed up so far.........someone will [probably get hurt and may even be me, but who becomes responsible when it happens?!?!?! What a sad sad joke

araman0

December 17th, 2011, 10:47 PM

Why can't the city enforce the law with regard to the pedestrian path? A law is a law, and it should be fairly easy to enforce.

I encourage everyone to write to the city as a previous poster did regarding these ongoing parking violations.

cailes

December 19th, 2011, 07:59 PM

Along Mass Ave
http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7175/6538860571_ff86f9defe.jpg

EddieB317

December 20th, 2011, 01:40 PM

Take a min and swing through Fountain Square. The trail is mostly completed and the area looks amazing! Truly transformative for the area.

moochie

December 21st, 2011, 05:06 PM

The artwork under the Virginia ave. garage.

http://indianapolisparking.net/v.JPG

jjgn

January 16th, 2012, 06:29 PM

New street lights went up this weekend on the north side of Washington St., south side of Trail, and it changes the look allot.

moochie

January 20th, 2012, 08:02 PM

I'll put these here too, and add more as I get them.

Please post your pictures when you have time. Thanks.

No problem, Mark Zwoyer has proven to be the most effective person in these regards. I'm guessing you already know that, and already have his contact info. If not, I'll PM them to you.

If you want to pursue this, you may wish to speak to the Valets at IRT. They have people pull onto the Cultural Trail hourly. It's freakin insane. This first pic is damage to the grate stones. These were all custom cut, and cost $170 apiece. any vehicle larger than a bicycle that goes over them WILL break them.

http://indianapolisparking.net/x.jpg

http://indianapolisparking.net/x1.jpg

http://indianapolisparking.net/x2.jpg

http://indianapolisparking.net/x3.jpg

http://indianapolisparking.net/x4.jpg

http://indianapolisparking.net/x5.jpg

http://indianapolisparking.net/x6.jpg

http://indianapolisparking.net/x7.jpg

moochie

January 20th, 2012, 09:21 PM

It looke like the IRT valets and/or the garage have taken steps to alleviate the problem. From the pic below you can see how easy it is for people to pull in the garage entrance and continue right down the trail to get valet parked. It happens constantly. Partially blocking the trail with a sign isn't a good thing, but what choice do they have?

http://indianapolisparking.net/x8.jpg

moochie

January 23rd, 2012, 03:44 PM

Again at IRT, they've gotten more aggressive, now coning off the entire trail and sidewalk. This snow is only a few hours old early Saturday morning, and judging by the tire tracks, at least half a dozen cars have driven on the trail. It's freakin insane...

http://indianapolisparking.net/x9.jpg

Drewbie

January 23rd, 2012, 09:34 PM

This portion of the trail wouldn't have had this problem, if they had put in planters and rain gardens like most the rest of the trail. I'm assuming things were compromised for the general expediency of the project.

Seriously go back and look at the original rendering in front of the IRT, and there are rod iron perimetered beds all along the street. Even if they just added some benches or bike racks, which i personally feel the trails really weak on, would go along way in mitigating this.

moochie

January 23rd, 2012, 10:18 PM

Dunno about in front of IRT, but they will be putting in oodles and gobs more bike racks starting in March. They ran out and had to order more in December, and they take a few months to fabricate and ship.

It's not poor planning. A lot of locations had to get property owners approval, which can take time, so they had to guess how many to order.

Also, the bikeshare program is still being nailed down now, and I'm betting that that stretch is a prime location for a possible station.

This portion of the trail wouldn't have had this problem, if they had put in planters and rain gardens like most the rest of the trail. I'm assuming things were compromised for the general expediency of the project.

Seriously go back and look at the original rendering in front of the IRT, and there are rod iron perimetered beds all along the street. Even if they just added some benches or bike racks, which i personally feel the trails really weak on, would go along way in mitigating this.

cailes

January 24th, 2012, 03:17 PM

Im pretty enthusiastic about the bikeshare. They must be in the selection phase at this point and going through the proposals. I am pretty excited about this. I sus[ect by later this year, we will have something up and operating

moochie

January 26th, 2012, 12:14 AM

One of my favorites. He parked on the trail for several hours, with signs saying he couldn't... Cops walked right by and did nothing.

http://indianapolisparking.net/x10.jpg

GarfieldPark

January 26th, 2012, 06:40 AM

But --- there is no reason that that right lane of parking spaces should be entirely closed off to parking. There are bump outs at either end of that block - so it cannot be used as a through lane. Those parking spaces should remain open all the time. I feel for the guy. He probably was called to come and clean someone's carpet. He gets there - and finds that all on street parking spaces are closed off. At least he didn't fully block either the cultural trail or the sidewalk. He just blocked half of each of them -- so bikers can still get by and so can walkers on the sidewalk.

Maybe he could have parked in a parking garage and carried his equipment into the building --- or maybe not. It looks like there are some type of hoses connected from his van to the inside of the building. Maybe he had to park within thirty or forty feet of the building. Not really sure. Anyway -- it aggravates me when I see "no parking" signs on streets where the parking spaces are not in a through lane of traffic. There's almost no reason those spaces should ever be closed - since closing them does not provide any traffic flow benefits.

moochie

January 26th, 2012, 03:50 PM

Those signs are for the trail, not the parking. The parking isn't blocked. There is a loading zone right in front of him that he could have used. Besides, parking on the sidewalk like that isn't legal.

But --- there is no reason that that right lane of parking spaces should be entirely closed off to parking. There are bump outs at either end of that block - so it cannot be used as a through lane. Those parking spaces should remain open all the time. I feel for the guy. He probably was called to come and clean someone's carpet. He gets there - and finds that all on street parking spaces are closed off. At least he didn't fully block either the cultural trail or the sidewalk. He just blocked half of each of them -- so bikers can still get by and so can walkers on the sidewalk.

Maybe he could have parked in a parking garage and carried his equipment into the building --- or maybe not. It looks like there are some type of hoses connected from his van to the inside of the building. Maybe he had to park within thirty or forty feet of the building. Not really sure. Anyway -- it aggravates me when I see "no parking" signs on streets where the parking spaces are not in a through lane of traffic. There's almost no reason those spaces should ever be closed - since closing them does not provide any traffic flow benefits.