Dear Residents and Business Owners,

On February 28, I joined our Hamilton County Commissioners and Fishers Mayor Scott Fadness to announce a proposal to convert 9.2 miles of the Nickel Plate Railroad to a 14-foot wide paved pedestrian trail, connecting Fishers and Noblesville from 96^th Street to Forest Park.

Noblesville’s portion of the Nickel Plate Trail will run through or along several neighborhoods, the Stony Creek Business Park, and the Central Business District which includes our historic downtown. It will connect with the future Midland Trace Trail and Riverwalk to provide a place for families and individuals to enjoy the outdoors and experience our community like never before.

I know that many residents in our community were sad to see the Nickel Plate Railroad cease operations due to safety concerns with its operator. But the time is right and the opportunity is now to add the Nickel Plate Trail to our 84 miles of current trails – with many more miles to come as the Midland Trace, Levee and Little Chicago Road trails begin construction this year.

The Nickel Plate Trail will bring even greater walkability for nearby residents, create opportunities to safely connect with our neighbors in Fishers, spur development for new residential and commercial opportunities near downtown and allow for future connectivity to the north.

The proposal we announced today is only the first step in the process. Now, we want to hear from you, our residents and businesses. I encourage you to learn more about the proposal at http://www.nickelplatetrail.com.

In addition, please join city and county officials at the following Nickel Plate Trail listening sessions to learn more about the Nickel Plate Trail and to share your thoughts. Representatives from each community will be in attendance at both meetings.

• Tuesday, March 21 at Fishers City Hall Auditorium from 6 to 8 p.m.
  One Municipal Drive, Fishers, IN 46037

• Thursday, March 23 at Noblesville City Hall Conference Room A213 & 214 from 6 to 8 p.m.
  16 S. 10^th Street, Noblesville, IN 46060

Our staff also is available to meet with neighborhoods and businesses one-on-one. To provide comments, ask questions or to request a meeting with staff, please e-mail NPT@noblesville.in.us.

We look forward to working with you during the process to create this transformative amenity. Together we can ensure the future of this corridor is vibrant and viable for generations to come.

Sincerely,

John Ditslear, Mayor
City of Noblesville