Carol Johnson, Southern Indiana Business Report
MITCHELL – The second completed section of the Monon South Trail opened Friday afternoon.
Under sunny skies, and with a cold wind blowing, city leaders and trail planners celebrated this newest section of 2.4 miles of trail.
A crowd of about 30 people attended the ribbon cutting near downtown. Remarks were given by Mitchell Mayor Don Caudell, Lawrence County Tourism Executive Director Tonya Chastain, Department of Natural Resources’ Dale Brier and Radius Indiana President and CEO Jeff Quyle.
“The trail is meant to be more than a ribbon of stone and asphalt. This is meant to be a new front door to downtown Mitchell, a new invitation to become part of the fabric of the community.” said Quyle.
Quyle said the trail will enhance the downtown and bring more visitors to the Lawrence County city that is home to Spring Mill State Park and is the birthplace of astronaut Virgil “Gus” Grissom.
Phase 1 construction began in July 2024 and will complete 20 miles of trail from Mitchell to Borden. The Orleans section opened in December. Funding for Phase 1 came from the state’s Next Level Trails initiative. DNR and the READI program have been substantial financial contributors to the Monon South Trail with DNR providing $22.3 million and the Indiana Uplands committing $1 million.
“At DNR, our users continue to tell us trails are the No. 1 way they want to experience the Indiana outdoors. This positive demand for trails was the genesis for Next Level Trails, which was the largest investment in trails in Indiana history,” Brier said. “Today marks the 113th mile of completed trail as part of the Next Level Trails initiative.”
DNR has awarded $180 million through four rounds of funding for trails.
Brier thanked the community leaders of Mitchell, Orleans, Saltillo, Campbellsburg, Salem, New Pekin, Borden and New Albany for their efforts to bring the trail from vision to reality. Quyle thanked the Mitchell Park Board and board member Sally Miller for adopting a five-year master park plan that fosters collaboration between the park board and the trail. He also thanked Caudell and the mayor’s office for supporting the trail.
Trail projects don’t happen overnight, Brier said. And Quyle said the Mitchell section has had its share of challenges.
“I apologize that we haven’t finished the trail through downtown as we wanted to. Unlike every other community, our acquisition of the corridor did not provide us with a viable downtown site for a trailhead, and in addition, no other community has the challenge of getting approval to cross the trail over an active rail line,” he explained. “We will reach our goal – we will give Mitchell a downtown trailhead that enhances the fabric of the downtown, bringing many more visitors and tourists to visit and shop downtown, while giving local residents additional opportunities for recreation and socializing.”
Even though not complete, Mitchell Mayor Don Caudell said the finished section represents “great potential.”
“This trail is a place where families can walk, neighbors and friends can visit and we can all enjoy the beauty of the outdoors,” Caudell said. “Many thanks to the foresight and funding of this rails to trails project. Today is a reminder that great things often start with small steps. As we cut the ribbon, let it be a reminder of the journey ahead. There is still much work to be done but with continued dedication, we will see this trail completed from Mitchell to New Albany.”
Chastain noted the trail will be a new tourism asset that will enhance the local economy and the downtown.
“This trail is more than a pathway. It’s a trail linking our past to our future and we’re saving the historic Monon trail line, which once was a vital artery of commerce,” Chastain said. “This trail preserves and repurposes that legacy for generations to come with a safe walking and biking route.”