Construction of a new city park in the Indianapolis suburb of Carmel fits the green bill.

The $55 million Carmel Central Park project initially was seen as having the potential for LEED certification, but the city decided not to seek it because of the cost. Still, the finished product will contain numerous green elements.

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The park, owned by Carmel Clay Parks and Recreation, spreads across 161 acres in a residential neighborhood. Crossing the park property is the Monon Greenway, a popular rails-to-trails corridor that covers more than 15 mi. from near downtown Indianapolis to the northern edge of Carmel. The name invokes the Monon Railroad, an Indiana line between Chicago and Louisville that merged with the Louisville & Nashville Railroad in 1971.

Construction at the site began in October 2004. The project is to be mostly complete in December, with some final landscaping possible once the weather warms up again to prepare the park for use in the spring, said Dave Hall, executive vice president at Geupel DeMars Hagerman, the Indianapolis-based general contractor.

Development of Carmel Central Park has been a mix of extensive sitework-including creation of a seven-acre lagoon-and building construction, most notably the Monon Center, a recreation center that straddles the Monon Greenway.

Seeking a 'Jewel'

Tom Poulos, principal with Williams Architects in Carol Stream, Ill., said designers were charged with creating an environmentally and financially sustainable "jewel of the Carmel Clay park system."

The Monon Center has an "organic, horizontal feel to it that is neo-Prairie in nature," he said. "There is extensive use of glass for natural light along with a traditional mix of brick and stone. Everything is fully integrated to give it a classic sense of elegance."

Similar materials are to be incorporated in other, smaller park structures-some being built and some planned for the future-including an entry pavilion, bathhouse, picnic shelters, signage and a bridge crossing the lagoon.

The existing Monon Trail is seen as the anchor of the park, bisecting both the property and the Monon Center into "active" and "passive" sections, Poulos said. The two pieces of the Monon Center are linked by a bridge over the trail.

The "active" side to the west of the trail will include an outdoor aquatic facility, the lagoon that can support canoeing and fishing, a skate park and open meadows for outdoor play.

The roughly two-thirds of the 146,500-sq.-ft. Monon Center on the west side of the trail also will include fitness facilities and a three-court gymnasium.

To the east of the trail is the "passive" side, with picnic shelters, wooded interpretive trails and scouting areas. This portion will include a variety of rooms for cultural and community gatherings as well as a computer classroom, Poulos said.

The Monon Center uses structural steel with a brick and block veneer. "A lot of sustainable, LEED principles were integrated into the building design," Poulos said.

Environmentally friendly interior finishes include flooring of linoleum, recycled rubber and stained concrete.

Both the Indiana limestone and the bricks came from relatively nearby sources (as LEED guidelines suggest), the roofing system has a high reflective value, HVAC systems are highly efficient and the building's generous use of efficient windows allows for strong daylight harvesting.

Green components also include the preservation and introduction of native plants in the landscape plan. About four dozen species are on the landscaping plan, from various maples and oaks to wild geraniums and elderberry shrubs.

A Water World

Gary Smith, senior project manager at Geupel DeMars Hagerman LLC, the Indianapolis-based construction manager, said the Monon Center's indoor aquatic facilities will include a zero-depth-entry pool suitable for toddlers, interactive water features and slides, and a lap pool.

And "the pool water that normally would end up in a sanitary sewer system is run through a filtration process and used to fill the lagoon," Poulos added.

An eighth-mi. walking track circles above basketball courts, and other facilities include full fitness equipment, child-care area, art studio and banquet rooms.

The 10-acre outdoor aquatic area has even more water features, including a lazy river and "plunge pool." The skate park covers 10,000 sq. ft.

Though the park is not yet open, the Monon Greenway has been for some time, and contractors have done their best to keep disruptions to a minimum.

"All of the residents around that area use the trail heavily," Hall said.

The answer was to build a trail around the perimeter of the site early on. That trail, which will remain in place as part of the park after construction is complete, was used as a detour while workers altered the Monon Greenway's elevation and installed the walkway linking the two sides of the Monon Center.

Otherwise, the main trail has remained open throughout most of the construction.

Planners also had to design around a large, existing natural-gas pipeline bisecting the site, Hall said.

Making a Lagoon

Creating a lagoon where there was none has been a major endeavor. Of its seven acres, about three are to be open water, navigable by boat and with depths of up to 12 ft.

The remainder of the lagoon is being established as a wetlands area. Contractors moved about 40,000 cu. yds. of soil from the lagoon site across the Monon Greenway to the east side of the park. The soil type on the site was "stiff" enough to create a natural bottom for the lagoon, so no liner was needed.

Building the park amid an established residential area posed additional concerns, Hall said.

"There are homes on three sides of the property," he said. "We made sure the people who live in the homes and subdivisions around the park had a good understanding of the construction process."

That effort has included conducting neighborhood meetings, establishing a hotline, creating an information Web site and launching a periodic e-mail newsletter.

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