Tag: monon south

Momentous Day for Monon South Trail as Construction Begins

Posted on by Radius Indiana

BORDEN, Ind. (July 18, 2024) — Over 100 community members and leaders from southern Indiana gathered at Borden Community Park July 16 for a Monon South Trail groundbreaking ceremony.

The trail is slated to span nearly 60 miles through Lawrence, Orange, Washington, and Clark counties, with an additional portion completed through the city of New Albany. The final, full trail will traverse 62.3 miles through southern Indiana, making it the longest continuous trail in the state. The ceremony marks the beginning of the first phase of construction, which will complete 20 miles of multi-use rails-to-trails segments in the communities of Borden, New Pekin, Salem, Saltillo, Campbellsburg, Orleans and Mitchell.

“Today, we are on the verge of realizing what this project could be, the longest trail in Indiana, one of the longest trails in the Midwest,” comments Steve Ferguson, the Chairman of the Board for Cook Group. Ferguson highlighted the future impact of the Monon South Trail to those in southern Indiana, saying “This trail will bring national recognition and will spur on our tourism industry, an industry that we need in southern Indiana in light of our declining populations in the area. Today marks the beginning in realizing the vision to increase economic development in our rural communities, but it is just the first step– let’s get after it!”

Through the state’s Next Level Trails program, the Indiana Department of Natural Resources awarded $22.3 million to Radius Indiana, the region’s economic development partnership, to facilitate the purchase and trail creation of a railbanked CSX railway corridor. Along with additional funding from the READI program, the design and initial construction of phase 1 of the trail began in 2023, with phase 1 construction expected to wrap-up in 2025. The focus of phase 1 is completed sections in communities along the trail, trailheads as well as restroom facilities and parking.

“As construction begins on what will be Indiana’s longest recreational trail, we come together to preserve our history and pave an exciting future for southern Indiana,” said Dan Bortner, DNR director. “The Monon South Trail continues the historic work of Gov. Holcomb’s Next Level Trails initiative by making more connections between communities and connecting more Hoosiers to nature. DNR was honored to facilitate the purchase of this 62.3-mile trail corridor and provide grant funding to support construction.”

As one of the trailhead communities, the town of Borden has become an active supporter of the project and worked alongside Radius Indiana to host the Groundbreaking Ceremony. Steve Williams, Town Council President of Borden expressed how this project will serve their community for years to come:

“The Monon South Trail, which will replace the railway that runs through our community, will bring new life to our town, connecting our schools, recreational areas, and downtown. In the future, we look forward to implementing additional recreational areas, green spaces, and more along the trail for our local community as well as visitors to enjoy.”

Anticipation of the trail comes not only from those in Borden, but also the community leaders, stakeholders and residents of New Pekin, Salem, Saltillo, Campbellsburg, Orleans, Mitchell, and New Albany. These cities and towns have dedicated significant time and resources into the research, planning and execution of the trail and look forward to experiencing the benefits of increased economic growth and higher qualities-of-life as a result of the project.

To assist communities and local entrepreneurs in continued development along the trail, Radius also announced plans for a new pitch competition. Planned for Spring 2025, the competition will be geared toward identifying entrepreneurs who can fill the needs for additional goods and services such as  bike repair and supply shops, shuttle services, bed and breakfasts, stores, eateries, and more along the trail corridor as visitor numbers are expected to increase in the coming years. 

“Beyond assisting with the trail’s physical construction, Radius is committed to working with local leaders to implement economic and community development fundamentals to help the communities take charge of their own growth and prosperity as the trail comes to life,” said Jeff Quyle, president and CEO of Radius Indiana. “We know this recreational asset will bring new visitors and new expectations for services and shops along the trail, and to help support the establishment of new trail businesses, we want to turn to the strong tradition of entrepreneurship that flourishes in Southern Indiana.” 

To learn more about the Monon South Trail construction and stay updated on the trail, attend the Community Update Meeting in Mitchell on July 24. The meeting will be held in the Mitchell Community Building at 5 p.m. EDT. To find out more information on the Community Update Meeting and stay connected with the project, visit www.mononsouth.com or follow Monon South Trail on Facebook.

 

Monon South Trail Selects Contractor

Posted on by Radius Indiana

BEDFORD, Ind. (June 20, 2024) —  At its June meeting, the Radius Indiana Board of Directors unanimously approved MAC Construction’s bid for the first phase of development for the Monon South Trail project. Construction for Phase I of the Trail is set to begin this summer, commencing with a groundbreaking in Borden July 16. 

MAC Construction’s bid of $15.3 million is nearly $4 million under the engineer’s estimate for construction of the initial phase of the project, which will complete 20 miles of the nearly 60-mile trail by the Summer of 2025. During this phase, paved and aggregate sections of the trail will be completed through the downtown areas of Borden, New Pekin, Salem, Saltillo, Campbellsburg, Orleans, and Mitchell. 

MAC Construction is a family-owned civil engineering and construction company based in New Albany, Indiana. Working in multiple sectors of civil construction, MAC Construction’s projects include the New Albany Riverfront Amphitheater stage, constructing the City of Clarksville Little League Park, and beautifying Main Street in Louisville, Kentucky. Throughout their projects, MAC Construction has focused on improving the Midwest, and the company has won multiple awards for excellence in safety and construction from the Kentucky Association of Highway Contractors (KAHC) as well as Associate Builders and Contractors Inc. (ABC) in 2020. 

”We are very pleased that MAC Construction will bring their expertise and experience in recreational project construction to bear on the Monon South Trail. We look upon this project as one that will literally change the recreational and economic landscape of southern Indiana,” remarked Jeff Quyle. “The people who live in these four counties are going to have the opportunity to watch this eyesore rail corridor become an eyecatching asset over the next few months.” 

Radius Indiana, the eight-county economic development organization, leads the Monon South effort and administers the funding for the development of the trail from the state’s NextLevel Trails fund, READI, and Radius. Once completed, the trail will increase connectivity and quality of life among communities in southern Indiana and create new opportunities in tourism and economic development for the businesses and towns. 

To learn more information about the trail, Community Update Meetings will be held July 17 and 24. For additional updates, visit mononsouth.com and follow us on Facebook.

Monon South Trail Trailhead Public Art Request for Proposals

Posted on by Radius Indiana

Radius Indiana is seeking a fabricator to produce six limestone sculptures that can be installed at newly constructed trailheads along the Monon South Trail, which will begin construction during the Summer of 2024.

The limestone sculptures should be ready for delivery and installation by September 30, 2025. Each sculpture should have a theme approved by Radius Indiana and should generally be reflective of some image or element that will be identifiable with the community in which the sculpture will be installed.

The sculptures should be based on one-quarter scale three dimensional models that will be approved by Radius prior to fabrication of the sculptures.

The fabricator should carve/fabricate and arrange the delivery and installation of the sculptures to the six trailhead sites in Mitchell, Orleans, Campbellsburg, Salem, New Pekin, and Borden.

Proposals shall be evaluated based on the following factors:

25%        Use of Indiana Limestone

25%        Presence of the sculptor’s location within the Radius region

(Radius includes Crawford, Daviess, Dubois, Greene, Lawrence, Martin, Orange, and Washington Counties)

25%        Proposed Cost

25%        Suitability of sculpture designs

 

Proposals are requested to be submitted by May 10, 2024. Please submit proposals and/or questions to Jeff Quyle, j.quyle@radiusindiana.com

 

Radius to Work With Community Leaders to Develop Monon South Trail

Posted on by Radius Indiana

Radius Indiana is a regional, nonprofit economic development organization in southern Indiana, and has worked for several years with a number of regional partners on the acquisition and development of more than 60 miles of CSX rail corridor into a unique regional gem that will provide a boost to public health, tourism, safety, and economic development for numerous communities across several counties.

The field of economic development has evolved in recent years to include a number of activities and initiatives that add not only new jobs and new investments but also new opportunities for communities to build up their quality of place and appeal to new residents as well as new businesses. Radius’s support for the development of the Monon South provides a regional basis for acquiring the corridor so that we can work with the community leaders along the way to develop their vision of the trail.

Southern Indiana Trailways, a dedicated, private non-profit organization established to implement and manage the project, will be given the opportunity to take over the leadership of the Monon South and ensure the trail’s development, management, and ongoing maintenance and activation. Other trails throughout Indiana also have similar advisory structures, such as the Cardinal Greenway, composed of board members that work and reside along the trail corridor. Radius will work with Southern Indiana Trailways and will provide support to the organization as it becomes established. 

The four counties along the Radius portion of the Monon South currently have 2,167 people employed in the Hospitality and Tourism industry as of the second quarter of 2022. Employment in the field is 18 percent higher than the national average, and the development of the Monon South will provide more opportunities for new businesses to grow in the communities along the corridor. Business establishments have grown in number in the field over the past several years, even maintaining stability despite the pandemic’s impact.

“Communities like Borden and Pekin and Campbellsburg and Mitchell all have the chance to turn the Monon into a business growth engine because tourists will be walking and biking through the middle of those towns in the coming years,” commented Radius CEO Jeff Quyle. “And the amenities that grow to serve the tourists will also be there to improve services for the current and future residents as well.”

Radius recognizes that the quality of place and the assets that embellish our region’s quality of place are important to economic vitality for the communities of southern Indiana. Through the Discover Southern Indiana regional tourism initiative Radius is promoting its region’s assets to the Midwestern market, inviting tourists to spend their vacation time in our beautiful scenery. 

Through the Choose Southern Indiana population attraction initiative, Radius hears many people describe the importance of charming rural communities that have attractions like long-distance trails.  And through the Spark-Downtown initiative Radius works to help rural communities build and retain new retail businesses which can serve and benefit from the tourists who will enjoy the Monon South Trail as it is constructed.

Southern Indiana Trailways will work with local leaders to identify segments of the trail to prioritize for development, as well as working with them to learn what practical improvements can be made along the corridor most quickly to improve the local community through steps such as re-grading local road crossings.

In addition to the $25+ million in funding provided by the Indiana Department of Natural Resources, the Indiana Uplands region has pledged to provide $1 million in READI funding, and Radius has already spent and committed over $650,000 of its own funds for the project to date. A 2021 study estimated that the development of the trail in Lawrence, Orange, Washington, and a portion of Clark County would cost between $23,800,000 and $43,900,000. Construction using the current pledged funds will take place in 2024 to 2026, and further development will rely on the acquisition of additional financial resources.

In 2021, Radius worked with community leaders from along the corridor to create a sketchbook of ideas about how the trail could be developed in numerous communities. The elements of the sketchbook can be seen at Southern Indiana Trailways.

“We’re extremely grateful to the Department of Natural Resources for the amount of work and commitment they’ve invested in this project over the past few years. They and New Albany and the Cook Group have all shown that there is nothing more successful than collaboration and teamwork,” Quyle mentioned. “Everyone worked together and we all had our eye on helping reach a collective goal.”