Council invokes emergency to amend conservation easement for Ganten Parkway crossings, citing Indiana bat timing

The council adopted ordinance O9‑20‑25 on March 4 to amend a conservation easement along Rose Run so the city can construct two road crossings—one for the Ganten Parkway extension and a future crossing for Miller Avenue—and associated utility infrastructure.

Staff said the easement, accepted in 2015, allowed for future crossings but that specific locations had not been fixed. The amendment preserves a combined limit of 300 linear feet of impact in the conservation corridor and seeks to ensure current designs stay within that cap.

City staff requested emergency treatment and a waiver of the 30‑day referendum period because federal environmental permits for Ganten Parkway require tree clearing to occur before April 1 to avoid harming the Indiana bat. "There are a handful of small trees right in this area that we need to clear before April 1," staff said.

Council declared the ordinance an emergency and then adopted it; the roll call showed six yes votes. Council discussion included questions about bridge/culvert sizing and how the design would minimize disturbance; staff said an oversized culvert or bridge is planned so a 100‑year flood event can pass without major disturbance.

The ordinance was treated as an emergency and adopted in the same meeting. Staff said Ganten Parkway's first phase is in design with construction anticipated early this summer.