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KEEP INDIANAPOLIS BEAUTIFUL GATEWAY
PROJECTS
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Binford Boulevard: KIB’s third and largest gateway began in the fall of 2005, along Binford Boulevard from 65th to 75th Streets. 117 trees were planted in October 2005. Over 5,000 shrubs and perennials were planted in 25 planting beds along the sides of the street. Nearly 20,000 daffodil bulbs were planted as well. Over 500 volunteers from Comcast and the surrounding neighborhoods swarmed the area on one day for this massive planting effort. The BRAG (Binford Redevelopment And Growth) multi-neighborhood association has continued to maintain and add to the plantings, adding 103 more trees in 2006. Major sponsors for this project included Indianapolis Power & Light Company, Stanley Security Systems, Comcast, Landmark Properties, and David Gorden of Mark Holeman. For 2007, we
will be planting native grasses and flowers in the center third of this long
median. These plants will slow and filter the rain runoff from the street,
for a double benefit. The slowing of the runoff will help our combined sewer
overflow problem by holding back water and releasing it over time, helping
to not overload the sewer system. The filtering will have an environmental
benefit, helping to slow or prevent contaminants from entering the public
waterways.
56th Street / Fort Benjamin
Harrison: KIB’s gateway planting for 2007 will be
along 56th Street in front of Fort Benjamin Harrison. This will be spread
over a long stretch of 56th Street, possibly including all the medians
between Franklin Road and Pendleton Pike. We will incorporate median
plantings with some planting along the side of the road, but the focus will
be on these large medians and their potential beauty.
Kentucky Avenue: KIB’s second gateway project (in the fall of 2004) was the landscaping of five medians on Kentucky Avenue, just inside I-465, greeting residents and visitors as they enter Indianapolis from the south west. About 75 trees were planted in the medians, and planting beds with shrubs and ground cover were installed at each end. In 2005, volunteers from Firestone and Habitat for Humanity planted 4800 daffodil bulbs on these medians to highlight the arrival of spring each year. FedEx sponsored this effort with funds for continued maintenance of the medians. Meridian Street Bridge: KIB’s first gateway project (in the spring of 2003) was to install hanging baskets on the Median Street Bridge over Fall Creek. This is a gateway into downtown Indy. KIB, with Citizens Gas as our sponsor, installed brackets which support 16 hanging flower baskets during warmer months of each year.
Trader’s Point: The goal
of this other project for 2007 is to improve the appearance of this interstate exit and
adjacent street intersection, a major point of access to the north end of
Eagle Creek Park and a number of residential neighborhoods in northwest
Marion County. The proposal is to landscape the exterior edges of the INDOT
maintenance facility so that it will blend into the surrounding woodlands,
consistent with the high quality scenic environment that residents of and
visitors to the area enjoy and seek to maintain. |
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