City sets ground-breaking for downtown People Trail extension

The city of Columbus is planning a groundbreaking for a new People Trail extension that is meant as a long-lasting legacy project of this year’s bicentennial celebrations.

The 1821 Trail expansion will run along First Street behind the county jail, City Hall and the IU architecture building all the way to the Robert N. Stewart Bridge on Second Street.

Robin Hilber with the city’s community development department says that the ground breaking will be held at 10:30 Tuesday morning on First Street, rain or shine. Parking will be available at First and Jackson Streets.

This comes right after the city’s 10 a.m. Tuesday Board of Public Works and Safety meeting, where city officials expect to award a construction bid for the estimated $2.3 million project.

Earlier this week the city’s redevelopment commission approved just over $1 million in funding for the project. That funding, along with donations, will largely cover the base construction costs. Further enhancements are expected to cost another $739,000 and the city is starting fundraising efforts to raise that money.

The city is offering a chance for you to buy engraved bricks for the project.

Bricks will be 4 inches by 8 inches and be placed along the 1821 Bicentennial Trail along First Street from Water Street to Lafayette Avenue. Each engraved brick is selling for $100. You can have up to three lines of text with a maximum of 16 characters per line. That includes spaces and punctuation.

You can find a link to a submission form here. If you have any questions, you can call Robin Hilber at 812-376-2522.

Photo rendering courtesy of Hitchcock Design Group.