Fort Wayne Trails Inc

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 2020 (UNTIL OCTOBER 6, 2020) AND AGAIN IN THE SUMMER OF 2021 (STARTING MAY 4, 2021), 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 1359 RIDERS IN 2020, DESPITE THE PANDEMIC. THE FIRST TEN RIDES OF 2021 BROUGHT OUT 719 RIDERS. PUFFERBELLY RUN/WALK/STROLL: SINCE 2010, THE PUFFERBELLY RUN/WALK/STROLL HAS PROVIDED A HEALTHY, FAMILY-FRIENDLY ACTIVITY, AND A CHANCE TO SHARE THE PUFFERBELLY TRAIL STORY. FOR THE FIRST TIME EVER, IN JULY OF 2020, THE PUFFERBELLY RUN/WALK/STROLL SOLD OUT TO BE CAUTIOUS DUE TO THE COVID-19 PANDEMIC, REGISTRATION WAS CAPPED AT 150 PARTICIPANTS. OF THE PARTICIPANTS, OVER 30 WERE YOUTH. THERE WERE ALSO 20 VOLUNTEERS. TRAIL MAP: 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 2021 TRAIL MAPS (NOW AVAILABLE IN BOTH COUNTY-WIDE, AND DOWNTOWN FORT WAYNE FORMATS) INCLUDE OVER 120 MILES OF COMPLETED TRAILS, ILLUSTRATING THE NEED FOR THE ANNUALLY UPDATED PUBLICATION. IN 2012 FWT PRINTED 25,000 MAPS. IN 2021 FWT PRINTED 53,000 MAPS (28,000 COUNTY MAPS AND 25,000 DOWNTOWN MAPS). SURVEY: IN MAY OF 2021 FWT INITIATED A COMMUNITY SURVEY ABOUT TRAIL USE AND DESIRES. THE SURVEY IS OFFERED IN 4 LANGUAGES. THIS SURVEY IS STILL ONGOING BUT AS OF THE END OF FY 2021 THERE WERE OVER 1500 RESPONSES. SOCIAL MEDIA: FWT MAINTAINS ACTIVE FACEBOOK, TWITTER, INSTAGRAM AND YOUTUBE CHANNELS. TRAIL DEVELOPMENT AND ADVOCACY FWT DOES NOT CONSTRUCT OR MAINTAIN ANY TRAIL PROJECTS. FWT HELPS MUNICIPALITIES THROUGHOUT ALLEN COUNTY PRIORITIZE AND MANAGE THEIR TRAIL PROJECTS. FWT ALSO ADVOCATES FOR AMENITIES AND TRAIL CONNECTIONS EXPRESSED TO THEM BY THE COMMUNITY THROUGH THE COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT ACTIVITIES LISTED ABOVE. SOME OF THE TRAIL PROJECTS THAT WERE CONSTRUCTED BY FWT'S MUNICIPAL PARTNERS IN FY2021 ARE: ARDMORE AVENUE TRAIL: THIS PROJECT WAS COMPLETED IN FY2021 BY THE CITY OF FORT WAYNE PUBLIC WORKS AND REDEVELOPMENT COMMISSION. THIS EXTENDS THE TRAIL BY 1 MILE FROM AIRPORT EXPRESSWAY TO THE ENTRANCE OF THE FORT WAYNE INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT. BECKETT'S RUN TRAIL: THIS PROJECT WAS COMPLETED IN FY2021 BY THE CITY OF FORT WAYNE PUBLIC WORKS. THIS TRAIL RUNS ALONG THE WEST BANK OF THE ST. JOE RIVER TO BECKETT'S STREAM. THERE IS ALSO A NEW TRAILHEAD WITH PARKING OFF ST. JOE CENTER ROAD. PEDESTRIAN BRIDGE OVER COLISEUM: THIS PROJECT WAS COMPLETED IN FY2021 BY PURDUE FORT WAYNE AND IVY TECH. THIS BRIDGE LINKS TWO COLLEGE CAMPUSES AND TIES INTO THE RIVERGREENWAY. PEDESTRIAN BRIDGE OVER STATE STREET: THIS PROJECT WAS COMPLETED IN FY2021 BY THE CITY OF FORT WAYNE PUBLIC WORKS. THIS BEAUTIFUL PEDESTRIAN BRIDGE ALLOWS SAFE ACCESS BETWEEN DOWNTOWN FORT WAYNE AND THE RIVERGREENWAY TO THE FORT WAYNE CHILDREN'S ZOO, VESEY PARK AND EVENTUALLY ALL TRAILS NORTH OF THE CITY. THIS IS ALSO ALONG THE ROUTE OF THE POKA-BACHE REGIONAL TRAIL CONNECTOR. CONSTRUCTION STARTED: CONSTRUCTION HAS STARTED ON THE MAPLECREST ROAD TRAIL IN THE CITY OF FORT WAYNE AND THE LANDIN ROAD TRAIL IN NEW HAVEN. POKA-BACHE COALITION: FWT IS AN ACTIVE MEMBER OF A NEW COALITION OF GROUPS FOCUSED ON MAKING THE REGIONAL POKA-BACHE TRAIL A REALITY. THIS TRAIL WILL CONNECT POKAGON STATE PARK AND OUABACHE STATE PARK ALONG AN 81-MILE OFF- ROAD CORRIDOR. FOUR COUNTIES AND 7 MUNICIPALITIES ARE INVOLVED IN THE COALITION. FUNDRAISING TRAIL HUBS: FWT CREATED A TRAIL HUB PROGRAM TO FUNDRAISE FOR TRAIL DEVELOPMENT. TRAIL HUBS WILL PROVIDE A REST AREA WITH DONOR RECOGNITION ALONG THE TRAIL, WHILE GENERATING FUNDS FOR FUTURE TRAIL DEVELOPMENT. CURRENT TRAIL HUB LOCATIONS ARE ON THE COVINGTON TRAIL, GOLDEN SPIKE SECTION OF THE PUFFERBELLY, AND PAYTON COUNTY PARK. TRAIL FRIENDLY BUSINESSES: TRAIL FRIENDLY BUSINESSES IS A PROGRAM THAT ALLOWS BUSINESSES ALONG THE TRAIL TO BE ABLE TO ADVERTISE ON THE FWT MAP AT A MINIMAL COST IF THEY OFFER A SERVICE TO TRAIL USERS (SUCH AS BATHROOMS OR A PRODUCT DISCOUNT). IN FY2021 MANY SMALL BUSINESSES WHO WERE TRADITIONALLY TRAIL FRIENDLY BUSINESSES WERE UNABLE TO RE-COMMIT TO THIS SPONSORSHIP. THIS PROVIDED AN OPPORTUNITY TO REACH OUT TO NEW BUSINESSES, WITH THE RESULT OF 30 TRAIL FRIENDLY BUSINESSES ON THE 2021 MAP. TRAIL BLAZERS: TRAIL BLAZERS ARE RECURRING DONORS WHO GIVE AT LEAST 10 PER MONTH TO FWT. BY THE END OF FY 2021 THERE WERE 93 TRAIL BLAZERS. PERPETUAL MOTION CLUB: IN OCTOBER OF 2019 FORT WAYNE TRAILS RECEIVED ITS FIRST PLANNED GIVING GIFTS. BY MARCH OF 2021 THERE WERE NOW FIVE KNOWN PLANNED GIVING GIFTS AND FWT ORGANIZED THESE DONORS INTO THE PERPETUAL MOTION CLUB. ENDOWMENT: IN OCTOBER OF 2018 FWT STARTED AN ENDOWMENT FUND AT THE COMMUNITY FOUNDATION OF GREATER FORT WAYNE. IT WAS STARTED WITH 20,000. BY THE END OF FY 2021, IT HAD GROWN TO 41,854. THIS MONEY WILL BE USED TO HELP MAINTAIN THE EXISTING TRAILS INTO PERPETUITY. KATHIES BIG ADVENTURE: IN MAY OF 2021, CATHIE ROWAND AND KATHY WEISS ROAD FROM FORT WAYNE, INDIANA TO WASHINGTON D.C. THEY RAISED OVER 8,000 FOR FWT.