These are pictures from New Harmony were taken in May. As we rode along the banks of the Wabash, I couldn't help but think this is what a truegreenway should look like.
The sense of the City of New Albany has been stated that Clark County can do as it pleases, New Albany will have a pedrestian-bicycle-oriented Greenway and that if a high-volume road is built in Clark it will be gated up at the border.
Well here is what a real Greenway should be. For any who wish to see it for themselves, take the scenic drive to New Harmony, walk down the lane between the Roofless Church and the Red Geranium restaurant. As you walk through the woods you may see a cultivated field of corn or beans on your left. As you exit the woods, you enter the scene shown in these photographs. It is refreshingly understated. It is in a word authentic. It does exactly what a proper Greenway should do; it provides a vantage point from which to view the river, it provides a place to enjoy the river but it does not assume a position apart from the river. It does not intrude .
The New Albany Greenway could be as bucolic as this if we have the good sense and the grace to accept Al Goodman's offer of his land for that portion of the Greenway. The Loop Island Wetlands is a jewel of the greatest potential in this entire city. Forgotten by industry, it has healed itself to become nearly pristine again. (And yet, that very industry has left behind two strong bridges over Silver Creek.) It is one of the few places in an urban setting where the river is able to provide habitat for wildlife and respite for humans. It would be an instance of stupidity to slash an automobile road through that property. That instance of stupidity would, in the future, be ranked with the utter dimwittedness of those responsible for tearing down the old Post Office in the 1970s.
Regarding access: for those who want to go, they will find a way.
7 comments:
I ride a bike for recreation and fitness(mostly recreation). I have some "tree hugger" in me. I really like the prospect of a Greenway but the proposed plan is ridiculous.
$57 million to build 7 miles?!?! I would like to think that Southern Indiana could make national news by saying that we made a mistake. We don't want $57 million. We need, say $10 million, to do these 7 miles. It would still be as beneficial to all parties concerned and we are saving the country $47 million. With enough attention, we could probably get the lesser amount almost immediately and have our Greenway in maybe 2 years instead of 6,7,8,9,never years.
Level headed Hoosiers admitting mistakes and saving money to boot. What a story.
"Level headed Hoosiers admitting mistakes and saving money to boot. What a story."
When your face turns purple, stop holding your breath.
I know. Even I get a little tired of my cynicism and like to dream occasionally.
Or in recent Indiana fashion, we could build the Greenway and then lease it to the Spaniards.
Has anyone ever heard the lament that "the floodwall cut us off from the river" or a variant thereof? Aside from the aesthetic appeal of applying the New Harmony model to the New Albany portion of the Greenway, I believe it addresses that concern and is an excellent means of promoting downtown revitalization.
If people visiting Louisville could be informed of the existence of an active park just minutes away offering excercise, communion with nature, views of both the river and the city and upon termination of the experience, fine or casual dining, and shopping at antique and specialty shops, I believe it would be a winning formula for downtown.
Such a park would foster services such as bike rentals and would be an excellent place for someone to establish a carriage business for rides along the river.
The low-key experience allows for New Albany's river heritage to be center-stage in contrast to the Disneyfied entertainment available practically anywhere. That is the kind of activity that builds an image-an authentic image-of a place.
The commercial element of such a park (this is after all, the U.S.A., the seat of capitalism) would reside in the downtown shopping district, where it belongs.
Is it more likely to get people to visit New Albany for such an outing, or, is it more likely to entice them with the prospect of a three or four minute drive along the river on their way to the casino?
What is the better path to follow for New Albany?
Well put, John.
PS Was the pun intentional in your last question?
Was the pun intentional?
Not really, but "utopian" was.
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