DALEVILLE – Local residents voiced concerns about how property will be acquired for the proposed Mounds Greenway during a spirited meeting on Monday.
About 40 people, only five from Daleville, attended the public meeting on the proposed 17-mile trail that would connect Anderson and Muncie along the White River.
Attendees voiced concerns about land acquisition, security along the trail system and cleaning up trash along the trail.
The Hoosier Environmental Council (HEC) is proposing the greenway as an alternative to the proposed Mounds Reservoir. The cost of the greenway ranges from $15 million to $40 million depending on land costs.
Tim Maloney of the HEC said the intent is not to use eminent domain to obtain property for the trail system.
“It makes it more challenging,” Maloney said. “But it’s a better way to gain support from the communities. We’re willing to meet with any land owners on how the Mounds Greenway may impact their property.”
Maloney said there have been discussions about extending the Mounds Greenway west of Anderson and connect to the trail system in Noblesville.
Yorktown resident Mike Blanch, who owns property along the White River, said property owners need information on where the trail will be located.
He asked if it would be along the White River or up to one mile away from the banks of the river.
“Without information we can’t decide if we want to be involved,” Blanch said. “What will the people using the trail put into it?
“I farm my ground, I make a living from it,” he said.
Maloney said land owners would be paid fair market value for their land.
Blanch said fair market value for farm land is $10,000 per acre.
“I’ll lose $100,000 per year,” he said.
Maloney said the location of the trail has not been determined and will be following the discussions with land owners.
He said HEC will urge the municipalities of Anderson, Chesterfield, Daleville and Yorktown not to use eminent domain.
Maloney said many property owners may want to conserve their land.
“There are options that will have to be negotiated with each land owner,” he said. “Some may want to conserve land but not allow public access.”
Regarding security along the 17-mile trail, Kerry Blind of Alta Planning said it would depend on how the Mounds Greenway is organized.
He said the communities along the trail can have police officers patrol the greenway on bicycles. In some communities, volunteers provide security.
Maloney said the Indianapolis Police Department has officers patrolling the Monon Trail on bicycles.
“It’s in an urban area and has all the problems of an urban area,” he said of the Monon Trail. “We have to be mindful that security is appropriate and has a presence.”
Blind said people are encouraged not to hike or ride bicycles on the trail systems by themselves, but with another person.
Several people complained about the increase in the amount of trash in the White River in recent years.
In most cases, Blind said, people using the trail systems around the country pick up the trash.