2000 acre proposed reservoir for Indiana

MUNCIE — The proposed Mounds Lake reservoir project that would span portions of Delaware and Madison counties got an endorsement from the Delaware County commissioners on Monday.

With a few reservations.

Commissioner James King, who is also police chief of the town of Daleville, told Rob Sparks, a Madison County economic development official and one of the organizers of the proposed reservoir plan, that his priority would be determining whether the project would have a positive impact on his town.

“I support it now,” King said. “If it’s not going to be beneficial to Daleville, I would go the other way.”

King joined commissioners Larry Bledsoe and Sherry Riggin in approving a non-binding resolution supporting environmental and engineering site studies for the project.

King said he hoped the phase 2 study “would find out if Daleville would be wetlands or it would have boat landings (and other features).”

In a previous public meeting, officials indicated the shallow end of the reservoir would be in Delaware County, gradually becoming more shallow until it is about two feet deep.

The Mounds Lake project would take the form of a reservoir running along the path of the White River, beginning in the middle of Anderson and ending in western Delaware County. It would be seven miles long and cover 2,100 acres, passing through Salem Township near Daleville and approaching Mount Pleasant Township. The project would cost $400 million or more and take four years to complete.

Officials — who have yet to find financing for the project — tout it as a way of providing fresh water for generations to come in Central Indiana, including the Indianapolis area. The project’s economic development aspects are also frequently cited.

“There’s long-term potential for future growth and housing,” Sparks said Monday. “Including growth at Exit 234,” referring to the Daleville exit along Interstate 69.

Sparks said the phase 2 studies on the project would be done as early as November.

Contact Keith Roysdon at 213-5828 and follow him on Twitter at @keithroysdon.

Solar farm at Indianapolis Airport coming soon

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Construction will begin on a solar farm near the cellphone lot of the Indianapolis International Airport this Friday. / Alan Petersime / The Star 2010 file photo

Written by

Carrie Ritchie

• FILED UNDER

• Indianapolis Business
• Indianapolis International Airport

Contractors will break ground on a solar farm at the Indianapolis International Airport on Friday.

The solar farm will allow the airport to make money on its unused land and will provide a source of energy for homes andbusinesses.

The airport will make about $315,000 a year from leasing 75 acres near the airport entrance to ET Energy Solutions, which will run the solar farm, people involved in the project told The Star in July.

The energy produced by 52,400 solar panels will be sold to Indianapolis Power & Light Co. and should be enough to power 17,050 homes.

Several airports around the country already have created solar farms to make use of their unused land.

The ground-breaking ceremony will be held at 10 a.m. Friday near the cellphone lot at the airport, according to a news release from the airport.

Enjoy Plays? Check out the Indiana Repertory Theatre in Indianapolis!

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Woo Hoo! Big Lots opening in Franklin!

I don't know about you, but I miss the Big Lots store we used to have just north of Greenwood!  Happy to have one back!
Daily Journal - Big Lots plans Franklin store

Mass Transit from Carmel to Greenwood

A plan to expand the mass transit system in Central Indiana could be a big help to suburban riders such as Gabe Naile.

The 20-year-old lives in Greenwood and rides IndyGo daily to get to jobs in Downtown Indianapolis — she delivers sandwiches for Jimmy John’s and pours coffee at Starbucks.

“I use a bike as my main mode of transportation,” Naile said, shortly after parking her bike on a rack mounted in front of a bus and climbing aboard. “I have two jobs, and the only way to get to them is to use the bus.”

The suburbs have a lot to gain under the proposed 10-year, $1.3 billion mass transit plan working its way through the Indiana legislature. About $600 million would be funded by the federal government.

Riders would see more buses and fewer transfers, including a new rapid transit line linking Carmel, Indianapolis’ largest northern suburb, with Greenwood, its largest southern suburb. Residents can learn more about the transit plan at 6:30 p.m. today at Greenwood City Hall.

More than 334,000 riders a year take IndyGo’s Route 31 bus from Greenwood to Downtown. Another 368,000 a year take the bus from Downtown to Castleton. More than 538,000 ride the bus to Park 100 on the Northwestside.

The Indiana House approved a bill that lets voters in 10 Central Indiana counties decide if they’ll support up to a 0.3 percent tax to fund the mass transit expansion.

It passed the House 56-39 with support of Republicans and Democrats on Feb. 25. The measure still must win the approval of the state Senate.

Naile relies on the bus, but even she’s not sold on a tax hike to fund public transportation.

“That’s unfair to people that don’t ride the bus,” she said. “They shouldn't raise taxes to pay for it.”

Lawmakers, too, have expressed reservations about the tax hike. Several powerful state senators, including Senate President Pro Tempore David Long and Appropriations Committee Chairman Luke Kenley, have expressed concerns over the high costs and low ridership associated with a facet of the plan that could bring commuter trains into the region.

The proposal calls for five new rapid transit lines of either light rail or buses.

Greenwood Mayor Mark Myers said he is among a growing list of supporters who back the mass transit expansion. Myers doesn’t like the idea of building a costly train system, but he said a better bus system would make suburban life better and foster economic growth.

“If we can speed up bus service and make it more user-friendly and more timely, I think that would benefit the citizens of Johnson County as a whole,” Myers said.

A good bus system with longer hours and more frequent trips could give young professionals reason to consider a move to the suburbs, Myers said.

He also likes the idea of letting voters decide for themselves if they are willing to pay for better bus service.

Central Indiana’s transit service lags systems in other metropolitan areas. The proposal calls for doubling the size of IndyGo, adding express buses and more local service.

Indy Connect, a partnership of the Indianapolis Metropolitan Planning Organization, the Central Indiana Regional Transportation Authority and IndyGo, has been holding a series of informational meetings on the plan throughout Central Indiana.

“If the service were better, more people who have a choice would use it,” said Jen Thomas, a spokeswoman for Indy Connect. “The people who have a choice today are not riding IndyGo.”

Liane Hedges, 55, Greenwood, has a car, but still rides the bus about five times a week. She said she likes to relax and let someone else do the driving.

Hedges typically rides Access Johnson County buses with her friend Mary Clark, 59. They take the bus to grocery stores, shopping malls and doctors’ appointments.

A Greenwood-to-Carmel bus line, Hedges said, would be great for everyone.

“A lot of people wouldn’t have to take so many buses,” she said, noting she’d support a tax hike to pay for better public transportation.

“It would be worth it.”

Written by

Vic Ryckaert

Indy Star

Expansion of Whiteland Road, should be complete by Halloween

Valle Vista water tower coming down this month

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The unused Valle Vista water tower will be demolished by mid-March, Mayor Mark Myers said. The tower, located on the grounds of the Valle Vista Golf Club, 755 E. Main St., has long posed a hazard for pilots who use the Greenwood Municipal Airport. / Vic Ryckaert / The Star

Written by

Vic Ryckaert

• FILED UNDER

• Communities
• Johnson County
• Greenwood

landmark on the Greenwood skyline — some might call it an eyesore — will soon be just a memory.

Crews will tear down the unused Valle Vista water tower next week, Mayor Mark Myers said.

The 105-foot tower, located on the grounds of the Valle Vista Golf Club, 755 E. Main St., has stood since the mid-1970s and has long posed a hazard for pilots who use the Greenwood Municipal Airport.

Removing the structure will boost air safety and make the airport more attractive for recreational and corporate pilots, Myers said.

Demolition, which is scheduled to start March 13, will take about one day, he said.

The cost of demolition is estimated at from $50,000 to $60,000.

Finally! Old Mr. D's at Whiteland Rd & 31 sold and will be demolished.

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Old Town Greenwood Revitalization

Daily Journal - Fixes a priority for Old Town

Franklin seeks grants for renovations, flood recovery

Daily Journal - Franklin seeks grants for renovations, flood recovery

OLD Cricket Ridge = NEW Preserve at Riley Meadows

Daily Journal - Homebuilder plans to breathe fresh life into abandoned Center Grove-area development