On June 27, the Hoosier Environmental Council released names of mayors supporting the proposed Mounds Greenway project.
Mayor Dennis Tyler, Muncie.
Mayor John Ditslear, Noblesville.
Mayor Andy Cook, Westfield.
Mayor James Brainard, Carmel.
One name was notably absent from the list of supporters: Anderson Mayor Thomas Broderick Jr.
Broderick said he had met with representatives from the HEC last fall about the project, but had not heard back from them. Broderick said at that time he voiced concerns about funding the project and maintaining the proposal for a trail network following the White River from Muncie to Anderson and eventually Indianapolis.
The trail along the white River from Anderson to Muncie would be 20 miles and to Noblesville another 20 miles, Broderick said.
Tim Maloney, senior policy director of the HEC, said Broderick was "neutral" toward the project when he met with him last fall.
Why not one more phone call? Another email? Maybe Broderick's mind had changed. Maybe other questions could have been answered.
The Mounds Greenway proposal has been touted as an alternative to the Mounds Lake Reservoir project, which was proposed in 2013 and voted down last year by both the Yorktown and Daleville town councils.
Broderick said if the Mounds Greenway supporters received grant funding, he would be more interested in the project.
No disrespect to the mayors of Noblesville, Westfield, Carmel and Muncie, but Anderson is the key player in this plan for a greenway to run along the White River through Anderson.
It would serve the HEC and other proponents of Mounds Greenway well to be inclusive of the city and its leaders.