Improvements at east side park part of larger park and trail growth in Indy

Bright neon vests adorn the crew members as they work along the trail at Grassy Creek Regional Park last week. The team is cutting back brush, removing debris and picking up litter.

The park, located on the far east side of Indianapolis, is one of the city parks receiving upgrades this year. Recent investments at Grassy Creek include a new splash pad, playground, trail expansions and wetland areas.

City-County Councilor Rena Allen visited the park for the first time last week. She said it's a valuable community asset.

“It definitely has a lot of value to the community,” Allen said. “What it means to us is more families [being] able to come out and take advantage of the nature park, to enjoy nature, to be able to ride bikes through here.”

Last year the city announced a roughly $15 million project at the park to build a playground and an environmental center.

Indianapolis Department of Public Works Director Brandon Herget said the city plans to use money from the stormwater fund to expand the park south.

“Our intent is to purchase some land that’s up for sale so that we can expand the size of the park and add to the city’s stormwater infrastructure, while also maintaining a wetland and adding to a very valuable already existing park system,” Herget said.

Officials said this would be the first time the stormwater fund was used to purchase land.

Grassy Creek Regional Park has just a small portion of the more than 100 miles of trails and greenways managed by a crew of six full-time workers. The number of miles that need maintenance keeps growing as the city continues to expand its greenways and trails.

Herget said the department requested money in next year’s budget proposal to add two additional full-time crew members. He said having a dedicated crew is needed.

“Today, you see the fruit of that labor with the cutbacks allowing better visibility and, frankly, better safety on the trail network,” Herget said.

The trails crew is represented by the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees (AFSCME) union and is under negotiations with the city.

The City-County Council’s final vote on the 2025 Indianapolis budget is scheduled for October 7th.

Contact WFYI All Things Considered newscaster and reporter Samantha Horton at shorton@wfyi.org.