As the City of Fishers gears up to transform the Nickel Plate Railroad into a whole new kind of public space, the Fishers Nickel Plate Trail Master Planning Committee invites the public to participate in the planning process, to join in the conversation and share ideas to help create the next great Fishers experience.
The committee, led by co-chairs Councilmember John Weingardt and resident Amanda Welu, plans to engage the community and solicit public ideas beginning with a series of kick-off events the last week of September. Engagement will run throughout the month of October.
“We are encouraging our residents to be bold, be original and be heard,” said Weingardt. “It is a blank slate right now, and I can’t wait to see what this community working together can dream.”
Track to Trail Kick-Off Weekend
Events will be focused on gathering ideas for the new trail and experiences that could go alongside. A 10-foot by 8 ½-foot interactive wall will stand in the new pavilion for Movies in the Park and the Farmers Market, encouraging members of the community to add their trail-related ideas to the wall.
- Four Day Ray Happy Hour – 4 to 6 p.m., Friday, Sept. 28
- Movies in the Park at the Amp – 7 to 10 p.m., Friday, Sept. 28
- Fishers Farmers Market – 8 a.m. to noon, Saturday, Sept. 29
- Brooks School Park – Noon to 3 p.m., Sunday, Sept. 30
The Track to Trail kick-off weekend will begin a month-long outreach effort that will include “think tank” focus groups with educators, students, entrepreneurs, artists and public safety officials. Other stakeholders will be reached out to proactively and include neighborhoods and businesses along the trail. Throughout the month, people will be able to also submit their ideas online or via mail. This phase of the master plan will conclude with a Community Conversation from 7 to 9 p.m. on Tuesday, Oct. 30 at Delaware Township Community Building.
“There are 4.5 miles of future trail in Fishers. Our goal is to create a one-of-a-kind experience, a new kind of public space that happens to have a trail running through it,” said Amanda Welu, Co-Chair and Owner of DELV Design.
This month-long effort is the first phase of envisioning what the 4.5-mile trail experience in Fishers could be. The next phase will begin to shape the ideas into visual concepts that will be brought back to the community for further feedback and refinement in early 2019.
Updates on the Track to Trail campaign will be provided at playfishers.com/tracktotrail.
The Fishers Nickel Plate Trail Master Planning Committee was formed in May to help guide the planning of the 4.5 miles of Track to Trail in Fishers.