Mayor John Hamilton wants to convert a 0.6-mile stretch of Old State Road 37 to a biker-pedestrian trail, but some members of the public say that would restrict public access to Lower Cascades.
(WFIU/WTIU News)
It’s the latest development in a years-long debate over keeping a portion of the road open to drivers or making make it a trail for bikers and pedestrians. Hamilton wants the latter.
Event organizer Carole Canfield said she hopes at least 75 people will attend. That’s the estimated capacity of the park’s waterfall shelter, where the event will occur at 1:30 p.m. Saturday.
“The goal is to let elected officials know how the public feels about this possible road closure,” Canfield said. “Most of us have used that park since we were kids, and we want access to the whole thing; especially those who cannot access it, either by walking or biking. There’s no need to shut us out of this park.”
Carole Canfield (Courtesy of Zoom)
Hamilton has long sought to convert a 0.6-mile stretch of Old State Road 37 between Clubhouse Drive and North College to a trail. It’s part of the city’s plan to establish a biker-pedestrian path connecting the city’s major parks.
The idea for a partial road closure dates to 2020 — but on Wednesday, the Bloomington City Council will hear a staff report on potential options. It will be the body’s first meeting after a four-week recess.
Council attorney Stephen Lucas said Hamilton’s administration has not submitted a formal proposal, which is needed before members can vote.
If Hamilton submits a proposal, the council would introduce it in a first reading at a later meeting. The council cannot vote on legislation on first reading, meaning it may be some time before members vote, if at all.
Nevertheless, Canfield said there’s a sense of urgency in organizing against the planned road closure.
Those against closing the road say doing so will limit elderly and handicapped access to Lower Cascades. Additionally, residents who live near the park say they rely on the road as an alternative route whenever the city hosts large-scale events, such as sports tournaments.
Lower Cascades is located on the north side of town, east of Interstate 69 and north of State Road 45. It sits adjacent to North Walnut Street, which runs underneath the bypass of State Road 45.
Canfield said northside residents frequently use Old State Road 37 to get to other parts of the city when there are traffic jams on Walnut Street and other nearby roads.
Lower Cascades Park on a map. (Courtesy of Google)
“It’s an escape route for those of us who live in the northern neighborhoods on game days and other high-traffic days,” Canfield said. “On those high traffic days, we don’t have any other way of getting out of our neighborhoods, except to go through the park and under the bypass and come out on North College.”
Canfield said the dispute over Old State Road 37 was settled two years ago, when the city’s Board of Park Commissioners recommended leaving the road open. That recommendation followed a 15-month pilot study to examine the effects of temporarily closing it.
The city has said the recommendation was driven by input from residents with mobility challenges who said the closure limited their access to the park.
Opponents to Hamilton’s plan have received support from council member Sue Sgambelluri, who represents the old District 2. Sgambelluri has said the city should consider creating new pathways instead of repurposing Old State Road 37.
Canfield said she has invited all council members to the Saturday event and Sgambelluri, Susan Sandberg and Ron Smith have said they plan to attend.
Canfield encouraged anyone interested in keeping the road open to attend Saturday and voice their concerns at future council meetings.
“I just want them to know that there’s a whole lot of people that they would be cutting out of the access to this park,” Canfield said. “We want to say, ‘There’s no need to cut everybody out of this park; there’s no need to close the road.’ That’s pretty much it.”
A spokesperson for the mayor's office said that while it has not yet submitted a formal proposal, the administration will recommend converting the road to a multi-use trail.
"The administration welcomes resident involvement, and looks forward to a robust discussion at the Council meeting on Wednesday," the mayor's office said in a statement.
