In the fall of 2023, the Eppley Center partnered with Radius Indiana to develop park and recreation system master plans for four communities in southern Indiana. Radius is a non-profit that supports economic development in the Uplands region of south-central Indiana and is spearheading the development of the Monon South Trail from Mitchell to Borden. The 58-mile trail funded, in part, by the state’s Next Level Trails program will begin construction in the summer of 2028.
Radius is funding the project to write master plans for Salem, Orleans, Borden, and New Pekin with the goal of boosting each community’s capacity to integrate the new trail into their park systems and open funding sources that require master plans to be adopted. The trail is expected to bring new tourism from long-distance trail users to these communities. Through this project, Radius and Eppley are assisting these communities to plan, construct, and maintain trail amenities and improve connections to both recreation opportunities and tourism destinations in order to unlock economic opportunities for town residents and businesses.
The Eppley Center project began in late September 2023 with data collection about the communities and their park systems. Residents were engaged with public meetings to gather feedback about their parks and opinions on the trail in October and a survey sent to every household in January 2024 followed by needs assessments and strategic action plan development. Park Boards in Borden and Salem adopted their new plans in early April and were submitted to the Indiana Department of Natural Resources Outdoor Recreation and Planning Division for approval. Plans for Orleans and New Pekin will be completed and submitted by the end of May. Upon the conclusion of the master plan project, Radius and Eppley will once again team up to complete economic impact assessments for each community to further quantify and project the potential benefits of the trail and enhanced park systems. These assessments will be completed by the end of 2024.
More information on the Monon South Trail can be found at mononsouth.com.