| 1806 |
Government survey by Jacob Fowler indicates Pigeon Creek name already in use for the waterway. |
| 1927 |
A St. Louis architect designs a “Pleasure Path” that would encompass Vanderburgh County and enhance Pigeon Creek. |
| 1960s |
Flood protection levee system is planned. The U.S. Corps of Engineers proposes creating a public recreational passage. |
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“Four Ladies in Tennis Shoes” campaign for cleanup of pollution in Pigeon Creek.
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| 1975 |
Pigeon Creek Flood Control Project is incorporated into the Evansville Parks and Recreation Department Master Plan. |
| 1976-78 |
Attempt is made to implement the Corps’ plan for pedestrian/bicycle passage, but it ultimately fails due to political and financial difficulties. |
| 1990 |
Park Director, James Haddan and Parks Board Member, Dave Ellison appeal to the city to undertake trail construction. When the city refused, the appealed to the Vanderburgh County Commission. City Councilwoman Gail Riecken and County Commissioner Carol McClintock then formed a committee that was dedicated to reviving the dream of developing a greenway passage and cleaning up Pigeon Creek. |
| 1990 to present |
Evansville has tried to build a pedestrian/bikeway six times--the first time in 1927. The most recent effort was undertaken in 1990 to the present. Two goals were established. One was to build the Greenway Passage. The other was to clean the Pigeon Creek for recreational possibilities. |
| 1993 |
The Pigeon Creek Greenway Passage Advisory Board to the Evansville Department of Parks and Recreation is established for the express purpose of re-introducing the plan to establish a trail system throughout Vanderburgh County. |
| 1994 |
Shirley James assumes chair of the Pigeon Creek Greenway Passage Advisory Board. |
| 1997 |
James Haddan, Director of Evansville Department of Parks and Recreation, includes Greenway Passage in Master Plan for the city’s parks. |
| 1998 |
The outdoor sculptures created by University of Southern Indiana students are installed along the trailway. |
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Veazey, Parrott, Durkin and Shoulders offers to build a portion of the trail along the I-164 thoroughfare as a gift. |
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The first section of the Greenway Passage is completed. |
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Wetland area constructed north of Diamond Avenue is initiated. |
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4,500 trees indigenous to Indiana are planted along Greenway Passage. |
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An extensive cleanup of garbage and trash along Pigeon Creek is conducted. |
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The sunken barge at the mouth of the creek is removed. |
| 2001 |
Land acquisition for the Passage continues through purchases and donations. |
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Hi-Rail property, a 2.3-mile stretch of railway bed following US Hwy 41 from Bayse Street to the Lloyd Expressway is accepted. |
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Storrow Kinsella Associates, Inc., the landscape architecture and planning firm assisting in the development of the Passage, create the Pigeon Creek Greenway Passage Master Plan and the Parks 2001, five-year Master Plan. |
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Greenway Passage field office located on Uhlhorn Avenue is opened to the public. |
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Display featuring Pigeon Creek opens in the Old Gallery of the Evansville Museum of Arts and Science. |
| 2002 |
The General Waste property to be acquired after completion of a Brownsfield study and cleanup. |
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189 acres of land next to Pigeon Creek has been donated to the Parks Dept. |
| 2003 - 2004 |
The Riverfront Corridor was completed and has been a significant benefit to Downtown tourism. |
Project Goals
Pigeon Creek Greenway Passage goals for continuing development in 2002:
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Indiana Dept. of Transportation (INDOT) let bids for construction of area from Sunrise Park to the Korean War Monument and from end of Riverfront project (by Aztar) to Fulton Avenue. Construction was completed in 2003 |
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Purchase of the General Waste site is complete and remediation of the area has begun. The site will be part of the Greenway Passage and will include a park and trailhead. |
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Funds are available and permitting processes have begun for construction of the Greenway Passage from Fulton Ave. (by Casino Aztar) to West Franklin St. Construction is scheduled to begin in late 2005 or early 2006. |
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The Evansville Dept. of Parks and Recreation and the Greenway Passage Advisory Board has applied for a Transportation Enhancement (TE) grant for $1,000,000 to construct the trail from West Franklin to Maryland St. |
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Preliminary designs and property acqisition (with the exception of an easement from INDOT) are complete and construction plans need to be finalized for the Hi-Rail section (2.5 miles) of the project running alongside Highway 41 from Glenwood School to the Lloyd Expressway. Construction money is needed. |
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The Greenway Passage from Sunrise Park and Glenwood School to Angel Mounds has been divided into two portions. The section from Sunrise Park to Glenwood School is called A-1. The section along Veterans Memorial Parkway is called A-2. The aerials and some preliminary engineering has been completed. An agreement has been reached with INDOT and the Federal Highway Dept. to allow the Greenway Passage to be constructed in the I-164 right-of-way. This agreement is the only one in the State of Indiana and was granted because I-164 was built on land that was earmarked for the trail. |
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