HANCOCK COUNTY — Community stakeholders working to create a countywide trails plan sought residents to weigh in on the plans.
Firms Health by Design and Butler, Fairman and Seufert organized two public meetings, the second round of public meetings and workshops held for the project, which examines existing walking and biking trails in Hancock County and suggests routes to connect them, making the county more interconnected for people traveling by foot or bicycle.
Butler, Fairman and Seufert associates Jason Griffin and Alan Hammersly presented the draft of the plan during meetings at NineStar Connect in Greenfield and the Buck Creek Fire Department station near Indianapolis, where they provided background on the plan and facilitated a conversation about ideas and concerns about the proposed plan, said Amanda Everidge, Hancock Health community coordinator.
More than 25 people attended each meeting, officials said. Griffin said the most common questions from those who attended the meetings included concerns about how the potential trails would affect private property and suggestions for how to shift the routes.
“When you talk to people about trails, there’s always a concern, will this take land from people,” Everidge said. “We’re trying to stress, this is simply a draft plan. This is not something that’s going to happen overnight.”
Everidge said the multi-level staging process for the addition and creation of connecting trails could take decades to complete.
The next step in the process is to present the final plan to the Hancock County Board of Commissioners in August, Everidge said.
She acknowledged the more rural parts of the community have concerns about trails, but the public input meetings, surveys and more have been good-faith efforts to make sure concerns are heard.
“We definitely want it to be a collaborative effort,” she said. “We’re trying our hardest to make sure every voice is heard.”
The county-wide trails plan effort began more than a year ago when community leaders banded together to apply for a $25,000 Hancock County Community Foundation grant; the county’s tourism commission later contributed $25,000 as well. Some municipalities had already been discussing how they could connect their trails, officials said.
The Hancock County Tourism Commission provided another $25,000 grant, said city zoning administrator Joanie Fitzwater. Proceeds from the 2017 Hancock Flat 50 bike ride through the county brought in about $18,000 as well, she said.
Each town or city participating in the project contributed to the cost of creating the plan, Fitzwater said. It also received contributions from the Hancock Economic Development Corporation, several county schools and small businesses.
The stakeholders in the effort include Hancock County, the cities and towns of Greenfield, Cumberland, Fortville, McCordsville, New Palestine, Shirley and Wilkinson, the Hancock County Community Foundation and Hancock Health.
Griffin said a copy of the draft plan and a place to submit comments will be available on the hancockcountytrailplan.com website soon.
