To:Downtown Stakeholders - From: Michael Dearing

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Cultural Trail Public Meetings

To: Downtown Stakeholders
From: Michael Dearing, Metropolitan Planning Organization Manager

An exciting idea has been taking form over the last year. It's called the Indianapolis Cultural Trail. It is envisioned as a dedicated bicycle and pedestrian trail that would link the cultural resources and districts of the Regional Center of Indianapolis, connect with the developing Indy Greenways System, and further the principles of a walkable city.

The response to the Cultural Trail concept has been one of high interest for its potential contribution to the quality of life in Indianapolis and an eagerness for more detail regarding its location, character, and design quality.

The concept of the Cultural Trail is still in development and no final decision has been made. To further its development, we need your participation at a public workshop that will be presented at the Indianapolis Artsgarden on March 17th. At the workshop, we will seek answers to the questions regarding location, character, and design from the citizens of Indianapolis, especially those representing downtown and surrounding neighborhoods, business and property owners and other stakeholders.

There will be two sessions, 2:00 pm and 6:30 pm, to enable as many participants as possible to help explore the idea and to make recommendations on how it will be implemented. Each session will begin with a fifteen-minute PowerPoint presentation followed by an opportunity to visit various workstations focused on different aspects of the Cultural Trail.

A follow-up workshop will be held on April 28th, at which the results of your recommendations and a proposed plan will be unveiled for further comment.

Please put these dates on your calendar and plan to attend.

Indianapolis Etc. Etc. Etc.

The next few months will provide for some interesting developments downtown. Beulah Coughenour, City Councilor, has introduce an ordinance that would ‘create a smoke-free work place for employees’. The proposal is set for an April hearing***Right after the Indy 500 Hyperfix kicks in. That’s INDOT’s brainchild that will shut down the ‘spaghetti bowl’ from May 26 to August 19, so that I-70 and I-65 can be revamped. Log on to: www.in.gov/dot/div/specialprojects/hyperfix for alternate routes and more info***And, we MAY have an election in May.