Lawrence City Parks Board members were told July 9 that the Fall Creek Trail extension has cleared several planning steps and could see ground-breaking activity before the end of the year, though easement negotiations and engineering hurdles remain.

Board members said the project was originally budgeted at about $7,200,000 and that staff and outside engineers have met with the Indiana Department of Natural Resources and right-of-way specialists to secure the additional easements needed to build the trail. "A million dollars doesn't go very far," one board member said, adding that the grant-writing and engineering processes had been "fascinating."

The update matters because the trail is a multi-million-dollar capital project that requires property access, environmental and construction planning, and interagency coordination before work can begin. Board members emphasized that final costs and timing depend on land acquisitions and engineering solutions for man-made and environmental obstacles.

City staff said they met with Gretchen Meyer, an in-house right-of-way engineer with United, and Brady Givens with the Indiana Department of Natural Resources to discuss easement needs. Staff reported they are trying to schedule follow-up meetings with land-acquisition personnel and said preliminary work could allow "some shovel-in-the-ground type of activity before the year is out." The board was told the construction phase, once started, is expected to take "approximately 18 months."

No formal vote or appropriation was taken at the meeting. Board members discussed the project's complexity, including environmental and engineered fixes created over years of prior work on the route, and reiterated that final schedules and budgets depend on successful easement agreements and engineered designs.

Board members asked staff to continue coordination with DNR and right-of-way teams and to report back to the board as land-acquisition meetings are scheduled and engineering proposals firm up.