By Carla Howie
A representative from Buckingham Cos. came before the Town of Zionsville Parks and Recreation Board Dec. 11 to present several options to connect the Quail Run apartment complex to the Zionsville Rail Trail. The preliminary plan was approved by the town’s planning commission and awaits the board’s suggestion on the connection. Buckingham purchased additional land north of the Town Hall Park and the land that wraps around the existing 168 unit Quail Run apartments on Ford Road for expansion.
Of the several options presented, the board is recommending the option, labelled B, which is geographically positioned further north of the original location presented. From the board’s point of view, it would allow the residents of the new and existing building the easiest access and would provide the most service to the complex.
From rail trail connecting points to sediment and stream bank stabilization of Starkey Park, the board heard from FlatLand Resources the tenuous condition of Eagle Creek. Last year the Parks and Recreation Dept. submitted a grant to the Dept. of Natural Resources for a log jam issue on the creek. That issue was ameliorated the day the creek flooded and the grant was allowed to be revised to address the study of erosion of the creek’s banks. The grant was approved with an 80-20 percent reimbursement, meaning the department is to pay for the upfront costs and will be reimbursed 80 percent of the project. FlatLand Resources is conducting the study to access the banks of Eagle Creek and identify and rank the areas projected for the highest rate of erosion. According to Parks and Recreation Superintendent Matt Dickey, “The grant process is a competitive one and we will apply again in 2014. We were glad the DNR allowed us to shift gears to address this issue of erosion and plan for the stabilization of the creek’s banks.”