Rally set to oppose playground near Downtown canal

INDIANAPOLIS (WISH) – Plans for a new playground along the Downtown Central Canal are receiving backlash.

The first playground within Indy’s mile square is set to open in the fall on a spot along the canal at Walnut Street, but some people say they like the space the way it is and are circulating an online petition against the new plan. 

The online petition started by Friends of the Indianapolis Downtown Canal asks the city to allow people to give their feedback on the new $1.5 million play space.

The petition targets five main concerns. The biggest is that the new playground would eliminate one of the biggest public green spaces in downtown. 

The petition also takes issue with the fact that numerous trees on the canal’s canopy would be removed to make way for the new play area.

The petition has already gained about 300 signatures.

One neighbor wishes the playground would be moved somewhere else. Conrad Deel said, “I hope that they move it to the other end of the canal. I think the public amenities are wonderful and that’s a great thing to do with public money. But, putting a playground in a neighborhood that doesn’t have a lot of children doesn’t make a lot of sense to me.”

The blue-themed project is funded by the Indianapolis Colts Foundation. A rally put on by Friends of the Canal will be at 7 p.m. Thursday in the area set for the park.