City staff outline parks and trails projects and public engagement at New Albany meeting

City staff presented the annual parks and trails implementation update at a June 1, 2026 meeting in New Albany, previewing several park projects, outreach results and a planned shift to more systematic trail maintenance.

Parks staff said Taylor Farm Park’s phase 1 (playground) and phase 2 (community garden) are complete and that phase 3 is in early design; staff said they are assessing options for the existing house on the site. The staff presentation described a pocket prairies initiative — specialized native-plant habitat plots at Taylor Farm Park, Planters Grove Park and James River Park — with installation of seeds and starter plants scheduled for spring 2026 and a multi-year maintenance cycle. “This process is somewhat of a three-year cycle,” a parks staff member said, noting the installations are designed as test plots that, if successful, could be replicated elsewhere.

On Rose Run Park Phase 2, staff showed a video preview that highlighted construction activity and a planned veterans memorial with a contemplative plaza; staff said preliminary site work will include fencing and underground utility work and credited a private land donation that helped assemble the site.

Staff reported public engagement to date: an open house on May 11 attended by about 60 people and more than 100 completed online surveys as of the prior week. Staff said the survey has been extended through Sunday, June 7, and that planning will incorporate responses before a proposed plan is presented to city council in the fall for workshop review.

On trails, Taylor Carnahan, engineering manager in the public service department, described a shift toward a more regular, systematic leisure-trail maintenance program. Carnahan said staff have done targeted repairs (crack filling, resurfacing and full replacements on some sections) and plan to use an evaluation service that videos and scores pavement to prioritize future work. “We’re working on developing a leisure trail maintenance program that’s more regular, more systematic,” Carnahan said.

Carnahan and other staff reviewed multiple trail projects tied to roadway work: a roundabout and widening near Walnut and Route 605 that will allow new trail connections on the west side, business‑park trail links associated with several new road segments, and smaller gap-filling projects where private development has partly funded trail construction. Staff noted some southward extensions are constrained by right-of-way and property-acquisition challenges and said they will pursue easements where feasible.

Staff also previewed wayfinding-sign concepts and an SR‑605 corridor streetscape plan aimed at improving pedestrian and bicycle facilities, simplifying lane configurations and adding landscaping; the corridor and streetscape materials, staff said, will be posted to the city website and included in future council materials.

Members asked about programming of park gathering spaces, parking near Rose Run Park, maintenance responsibilities for the pocket prairies (staff said a consultant named Mad Scientist will do installation and hold a maintenance contract with the public service department), and whether improvements would raise property-tax bills. On funding, staff said much capital improvements funding comes from the city income tax rather than property taxes and that the exact funding splits were not provided on the spot.

Staff said they will share maps and renderings online as planning materials are finalized and that further public engagement will occur before council consideration. The annual update concluded with staff indicating that many of these projects will return in future status updates.

Next steps: survey responses will be compiled and used to shape fall council workshop materials; staff will circulate detailed site plans and respond to follow-up questions about programming and parking.