The Logansport Finance Committee discussed a Mall Road traffic study and a new disc golf course at a meeting on Monday.
Logansport Mayor Chris Martin suggested that the committee consider paying for a traffic study of Mall Road to determine how future development around the area will affect transportation and infrastructure.
With the new mall redevelopment, Home2 Suites extended-stay hotel and Lexington Village projects all underway near Mall Road, Martin said it is important to plan now for future development. Traffic studies are required when new developments are expected to significantly increase traffic to certain areas.
“We’re trying to look at infrastructure improvements throughout the community right now, and Mall Road was on our list,” Martin said.
Martin noted that he is open to suggestions if anyone on the committee has other ideas about where to conduct traffic studies for future development, but he said a traffic study on Mall Road makes sense.
The Lexington Village subdivision will bring 52 single-family homes to the city, mall redevelopment will encourage businesses to move into Logansport and the hotel will give visitors and temporary workers a place to stay. Martin said these projects will likely increase demand for further development in that area.
The plan for Mall Road includes potentially widening the roadway, installing a gas station, and selling undeveloped land along the Walmart entrance.
“With the increase in traffic, I would want to see if we could maybe size (the road) up a little more, possibly putting in what Market Street has where there is a turn lane in the middle and you’ve got traffic on both sides,” Martin said.
The traffic study would take about 90 days and cost the city $25,920.
Committee member Dave Morris said he needs more information about the traffic study to ensure it will still be accurate if development on Mall Road does not begin right away.
“I’d hate to do the traffic count then find out a year and a half from now when we’re ready to move forward that we’ve got to do another traffic count,” Morris said.
The committee agreed to table the traffic study until more information is available.
The Finance Committee also discussed a resolution concerning the creation of a disc golf course near the city’s former landfill and the Ivy Tech Community College campus.
Logansport Deputy Mayor Jacob Pomasl said the course’s basic design will cost $13,320. However, optional yet important design elements are expected to bring the total price to about $18,020.
“I think you’re going to want the course map and the signage to make sure it looks professional when we’re done with it,” Pomasl said.
He added that there is also a contingency amount in the higher price in case of unexpected costs once construction starts.
A land agreement for the disc golf course was signed by both Ivy Tech and the Logansport Board of Public Works and Safety, and Pomasl said the next step is to receive funding from the Finance Committee.
Morris commented that the disc golf course begins near Ivy Tech’s parking lot. However, the city does not currently have permission to use that parking lot for the disc golf course.
“If we spend $18,000 to design the course, where’s the thought about how they’re going to have access?” Morris asked.
Pomasl said the course plans were drawn to take full advantage of the available space, and he believes that the city and Ivy Tech can come to an agreement about parking. He said that will be a separate agreement, however, and he is planning to get additional construction estimates for parking.
“They don’t want us to just assume and use (the parking lot) without indemnifying them for it,” he said. “That will come, but we have to get new estimates for the construction on it. We have the basics, but I want to verify that.”
The committee also discussed creating a separate parking lot for the disc golf course. Pomasl said additional development near the course makes that option appealing.
“We have a (request for quotation) out to get some interested developers for that area, and we’re supposed to hear from them by the end of the month,” he said. “That’s why we wanted to get this process started with you guys, knowing that we’re going to hear from developers at the end of the month with some of their ideas and hopefully discover which entities we might be able to work with on getting the overall vision for that area done. We wanted to get started on this part knowing that that is an issues we’re going to have to resolve at some point.”
The committee discussed making an additional appropriation from the city’s general fund to pay for the disc golf course.
“If there’s any issue with Ivy Tech and us sharing a parking lot, then we should make our own parking lot if we own the land,” council member Scott Peattie said. “I’m for that.”
The committee ultimately agreed to table the resolution and resolve the parking issue before putting it to a vote at the next meeting.