ANDERSON — Daleville Town Council President Tom Roberts said his biggest fear in voting against joining the Mounds Lake Commission was that opposition would disappear after the vote.
"We're all terrified that if we vote this down, we're never going to see any of you again," Roberts said at the Town Council meeting Monday night. "We want you to follow through on these alternatives you've been talking about."
The protesters who showed up Monday night said they had no intention of leaving things the way they are and will continue to push for projects like the Mounds Greenway.
The greenway, which would be a linear park stretching along the length of the White River with walking trails, is a project proposed by the Hoosier Environmental Council. Now that the Mounds Lake Commission is dead, the greenway becomes a much more serious discussion.
"It's becoming clear the reservoir doesn't have support in Delaware County," said Tim Maloney, senior policy director for the Hoosier Environmental Council. "That's creating more interest in the greenway project."
Maloney said the interest has allowed the council to start moving from conceptual plans to a more serious master plan as to what the project might look like. Maloney said ideally, the project would consist of trails, campsites and recreational areas stretching from Muncie to Anderson and connecting Daleville, Yorktown and Chesterfield along the way.
While not nearly as expensive as the $440 million projected for Mounds Lake Reservoir, Maloney said the greenway would still be a significant project.
"We're in the process of talking to people and trying to get donors lined up," Maloney said. "This is going to take a lot more than just the environmental council."
The Heart of the River Coalition, one of the staunchest opponents to the proposed reservoir, will continue to work with the environmental council to educate the public about the benefits of a free-flowing river, which would be possible under the greenway.
Two days after the Mounds Lake Commission was defeated by Daleville's no vote, Rob Sparks said the Mounds Lake group is continuing to collect data in regard to the need for water in the next few years.
Sparks, who has led the Mounds Lake push for the past couple of years, said it was too early to make determinations about the state of the project, but he did say reservoir backers believe there will be a significant need for water in the future.
"There are going to be billions of dollars spent on water resources in central Indiana," Sparks said. "Right now we're still gathering data to see what we can do next."
The reservoir project did see some success in Madison County, with Anderson and Chesterfield councils voting to join the commission, while in Delaware County, the county commissioners, county council and Daleville all voiced disapproval toward the project.
Yorktown's Town Council President Rich Lee said the council would address the Mounds Lake Commission at its next meeting. He said he didn't think the council needed to introduce or vote on the commission ordinance but the council would approve a resolution showing its stance on the reservoir.