City presents Veterans Park and Greenway plan; asks Carmel Clay Schools for easements and a management agreement

City parks staff presented schematic plans for a Veterans Greenway and a 1.6‑acre Veterans Park during the Carmel Clay Schools board meeting, and asked the school board to consider easements and a management agreement that would allow the parks department to develop and steward certain school‑adjacent land while the district retains ownership.

The presenter summarized a multi‑component project that includes: a north–south multi‑use Veterans Greenway connecting Old Meridian to the Monon corridor; a park immediately west of Carmel Middle School with gathering “living room” shelters, water and fire features, interpretive signage, and a small pond with a boardwalk; a short stretch of trail crossing school property and a proposed temporary laydown area for construction equipment in Odin Woods; and a proposed management agreement under which Carmel Parks would assume operating maintenance costs for the woods while returning the property to the district if circumstances change.

Funding and partnership: the city has allocated $15 million to construct the park and greenway; a private multifamily developer will construct public restrooms and provide underground parking for the park and assume ongoing restroom maintenance. The parks presenter said steering‑committee input from veterans shaped the design, and that the park aims to be inclusive — a place for veterans and the broader community rather than a single‑object memorial.

School board members asked about artwork near schools, safety and adjacency to the middle school, signage and naming conventions (the presenter acknowledged a misspelling in materials and said the parks department would coordinate commemorative signage), and timing for bringing a formal management/easement agreement back to the board. The parks presenter said the management agreement could be ready at the next board meeting and that more detailed designs for artwork and interpretive content would be developed in subsequent phases.

Next steps: the city will return with a proposed agreement that would preserve school ownership, outline permitted uses, include restoration after construction, require board review before improvements, and set expectations for signage and stewardship. The board welcomed the collaboration and asked for continued coordination on art concepts and school use.