A new trailhead with restrooms and other amenities is planned along the Monon Trail in Carmel’s Central Park as part of a plan to improve connectivity in the area.
Construction will likely begin in early 2019, but with the project still in the design phase an estimated completion date has not been determined. The trailhead is tentatively planned on the west side of the Monon Trail north of the Monon Community Center.
CCPR Chief Operating Officer Michael Klitzing said many people already use Central Park to access the Monon Trail, but recent changes in accessibility to the Monon Community Center have made it more difficult to access the free public restrooms.
“Over the course of the last year we’ve done some changes to the building for safety purposes and to better control entry into the facility. Before people used to be able to access the building directly from the Monon Trail, and those entrances are only used now as emergency exits,” Klitzing said. “It is not as convenient as it once was.”
The new trailhead will be similar to the ones along the Monon near 96th Street and Rohrer Road. It will include restrooms, a drinking fountain, bike repair system and bike racks. CCPR also plans to relocate the Zagster bike share hub to the new trailhead.
The new trailhead and restrooms is part of a larger capital improvement project to improve connectivity to The Waterpark, which is also in Central Park, and provide additional staff parking behind the Monon Community Center, freeing up spaces for the public in existing lots. CCPR has budgeted $1 million for the project, Klitzing said, but firm cost estimates will not be available until design work is complete.
