FORT WAYNE TRAILS INC
300 EAST MAIN STREET SUITE 131, FORT WAYNE, IN 46802 www.fwtrails.org

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Organizations Filed Purposes: FORT WAYNE TRAILS IS A COMMUNITY PARTNER AND ADVOCATE IN THE DEVELOPMENT OF A CONNECTED, MULTI-PURPOSE SYSTEM OF TRAILS IN ALLEN COUNTY.

COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT TREK THE TRAILS: DURING THE SUMMER OF 2019 (UNTIL OCTOBER 1, 2019) AND AGAIN IN THE SUMMER OF 2020 (STARTING JUNE 16, 2020), FORT WAYNE TRAILS (FWT) PARTNERED WITH THE CITY OF FORT WAYNE AND SUMMIT CITY BICYCLES AND FITNESS TO PROVIDE A SERIES OF FAMILY-FRIENDLY BICYCLE RIDES AT VARIOUS LOCATIONS THROUGHOUT THE TRAIL SYSTEM. THE GOALS OF THIS PROGRAM ARE TO ENGAGE WITH THE PUBLIC, INTRODUCE THE TRAIL SYSTEM TO NEW USERS, AND BUILD AFFINITY FOR THE TRAILS WITH POTENTIAL DONORS. THERE WERE 1433 RIDERS IN 2019, A 17% INCREASE OVER 2018. THE FIRST THREE RIDES OF 2020 BROUGHT OUT 255 RIDERS DESPITE THE PANDEMIC. PUFFERBELLY RUN/WALK/STROLL: SINCE 2010, THE PUFFERBELLY RACE HAS PROVIDED A HEALTHY, FAMILY-FRIENDLY ACTIVITY, AND A CHANCE TO SHARE THE PUFFERBELLY TRAIL STORY. IN JULY OF 2019 THERE WERE 400 PARTICIPANTS, INCLUDING OVER 70 YOUTH AND 30 VOLUNTEERS. THIS WAS AN INCREASE OF OVER 30% FROM THE YEAR BEFORE. TRAIL MAP AND APP: BEGINNING WITH THE 2012 TRAIL MAP, FWT HAS PROVIDED AN EASY-TO-READ MAP OF THE TRAIL SYSTEM, SHOWING EXISTING TRAILS AND CURRENT TRAIL PROJECTS. THE FIRST TRAIL MAP SHOWED 68 MILES OF COMPLETED TRAILS. THE 2020 TRAIL MAPS (NOW AVAILABLE IN BOTH COUNTY-WIDE, AND DOWNTOWN FORT WAYNE FORMATS) INCLUDE 120 MILES OF COMPLETED TRAILS, ILLUSTRATING THE NEED FOR THE ANNUALLY UPDATED PUBLICATION. IN 2012 FWT PRINTED 25,000 MAPS. IN 2020 FWT PRINTED 70,000 MAPS (35,000 COUNTY MAPS AND 35,000 DOWNTOWN MAPS). DUE TO THE PANDEMIC MANY OF THE LOCATIONS WHERE THESE MAPS ARE TRADITIONALLY DISTRIBUTED HAVE NOT NEEDED AS MANY AS USUAL, WHILE DEMAND FOR MAPS AT TRAILHEADS AND ALONG THE TRAIL ITSELF HAS INCREASED. ALSO, DURING FY2020, FWT LAUNCHED ITS FREE APP WHICH INCLUDES THE MAP, LINKS TO TRAIL FRIENDLY BUSINESSES, THE FWT WEBSITE AND MORE. TRAIL DEVELOPMENT AND ADVOCACY DUPONT ROAD TRAIL: THIS PROJECT WAS COMPLETED IN FY2020. IT INCLUDES A 10 FT WIDE TRAIL ON THE SOUTH SIDE OF DUPONT ROAD, A SIDEWALK ON THE NORTH SIDE OF DUPONT ROAD AND A BELOW GRADE CROSSING OF DUPONT ROAD. THE TRAIL THAT GOES UNDER DUPONT ROAD IS PART OF THE POKA-BACHE REGIONAL TRAIL WHICH WILL RUN 81 MILES FROM POKAGON STATE PARK TO OUABACHE STATE PARK. HADLEY ROAD SIDEWALK: THIS PROJECT WAS COMPLETED IN FY2020. IT CONNECTS RIDGE KNOLL DRIVE TO INVERNESS LAKE DRIVE GIVING TRAIL USERS ON COVINGTON ROAD AND ILLINOIS ROAD A SAFE LOOP THROUGH THE NEIGHBORHOOD. HANNAH STREET TRAIL: THE TRAIL PORTION OF THIS PROJECT WAS COMPLETED IN FY2020. A TEN-FOOT-WIDE TRAIL WAS CONSTRUCTED ON THE WEST SIDE OF HANNA STREET FROM US27/ LAFAYETTE TO TILLMAN ROAD AND TILLMAN PARK WHERE THE TRAIL TIES INTO THE RIVER GREENWAY. THIS PROJECT HAS CREATED A SAFE CORRIDOR FOR RESIDENTS IN SOUTHEAST FORT WAYNE TO ACCESS DOWNTOWN AND THE REST OF THE TRAIL SYSTEM. MONROEVILLE PARK TRAIL: THIS 8-FOOT-WIDE TRAIL LOOP AROUND THE PERIMETER OF MONROEVILLE PARK WAS COMPLETED IN FY2020 CREATING RECREATIONAL TRAIL OPPORTUNITIES FOR THIS RURAL COMMUNITY. ARDMORE AVENUE TRAIL: THIS TRAIL ON THE EAST SIDE OF ARDMORE AVENUE WILL EXTEND THE TRAIL FROM AIRPORT EXPRESSWAY TO THE ENTRANCE OF THE FORT WAYNE INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT. IN MARCH OF 2020 THERE WAS A GROUND-BREAKING CEREMONY FOR THIS SECTION OF TRAIL AND PAVING HAS NOW BEGUN. MILLION DREAMS NATURE TRAIL: THIS TRAIL WAS INITIATED BY THE GIRL'S ROBOTICS TEAM AT PAUL HARDING JUNIOR HIGH SCHOOL. THE ROBOTICS TEAM IDENTIFIED A NEED AND DEVELOPED A PLAN TO TURN A PART OF THE HARDING CAMPUS INTO A NATURE AREA AND TRAIL TO PROVIDE TERRAIN FOR THEIR ROBOTICS PROJECTS, AND SCIENCE AND PHYSICAL EDUCATION CLASSES. THIS TEAM OF 7TH AND 8TH-GRADERS COMPETED WITH THEIR TRAIL PROJECT AT THE IVY TECH FIRST ROBOTICS CHAMPIONSHIP IN 2019, AND WERE THE OVERALL WINNERS OF THE INVITATIONAL. THEY ADVANCED TO THE STATE LEVEL AND WORKED WITH FWT TO PREPARE A FORMAL PROPOSAL FOR THE COMPETITION, PLACING 1ST OUT OF 48 TEAMS. THE PROJECT INCLUDES 1-MILE PAVED TRAIL AND A 0.75-MILE WOODED NATURAL TRAIL AND WILL BECOME A TRAILHEAD FOR THE 6-MILE CREEK TRAIL ONCE IT IS COMPLETED. STUDENT AND TEACHER VOLUNTEERS HAVE COMPLETED THE NATURAL SURFACE TRAIL, AND PRAIRIE SEEDING. STUDENTS ARE EXCITED THAT THE PROJECT WILL BENEFIT THEIR CAMPUS AND THE COMMUNITY AT LARGE. FUNDRAISING TRAIL HUBS: FWT HAS CREATED A TRAIL HUB PROGRAM FOR FUNDRAISING FOR TRAIL DEVELOPMENT. TRAIL HUBS WILL PROVIDE A REST AREA WITH DONOR RECOGNITION ALONG THE TRAIL, WHILE GENERATING FUNDS FOR FUTURE TRAIL DEVELOPMENT. COVINGTON TRAIL: IN FY2019 FWT INITIATED ITS FIRST TRAIL HUB FOR THIS SECTION OF TRAIL. USING THE TRAIL HUB TOOL, TOTAL COMMITMENTS TO THIS PROJECT ARE NOW 76,000. GOLDEN SPIKE TRAIL SECTION: IN JULY 2019, FWT COMMITTED TO SECURE 250,000 IN LOCAL MATCHING FUNDS FOR THIS SECTION OF TRAIL, TO BE MATCHED BY CITY OF FORT WAYNE FUNDS AND A NEXT LEVEL TRAILS GRANT. ALTHOUGH THE NEXT LEVEL TRAILS GRANT PROGRAM WAS FROZEN IN 2020, FWT CONTINUED TO SEEK LOCAL FUNDS FOR THIS PROJECT, AND SECURED THE TITLE DONOR FOR THE TRAIL HUB AND ADDITIONAL FUNDING COMMITMENTS. LOCAL FUNDING COMMITMENTS TO DATE ARE ALMOST 129,000. PAYTON COUNTY PARK: IN FY2019 FWT ALSO INITIATED THE PAYTON COUNTY PARK TRAIL HUB PROJECT. IN FY2020, FWT INCREASED THE TOTAL RAISED FOR THIS PROJECT TO 65,500. OTHER FUNDRAISING ACTIVITIES: IN 2020 FWT ASSISTED STUDENTS AND ADMINISTRATION AT PAUL HARDING JR. HIGH SCHOOL TO BEGIN PLANNING AND DEVELOPMENT OF THE MILLION DREAMS NATURE TRAIL. FWT RAISED 9000 FOR THIS EFFORT THROUGH THE ROPCHAN FOUNDATION.

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