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As a subscriber you can listen to articles at work, in the car, or while you work out. Subscribe NowConner Prairie received good news for its expansion plans last week, setting the stage for more innovative experiences and living museum exhibits that will make greater use of the White River in Hamilton County.
We applaud the Carmel Plan Commission for endorsing the enhancements to the outdoor living history museum, one of the region’s top attractions, and its efforts to provide an even deeper cultural and historical experience for visitors.
The plan calls for rezoning 260 acres of land on Fishers-based Conner Prairie’s west-side property—the part that reaches into neighboring Carmel—to make way for a Food, Farm, & Energy Experience District that would include multiple buildings and exhibits, Eli Lilly’s farm and a modern farm, a solar field, trails, woodland, a prairie, wetlands, a pedestrian bridge and parking.
A Land, Water & Energy Innovation District also would be added to include the White River Education and Ecology Center, an innovation center with up to 110,000 square feet of office space, a 70-room eco-lodge, cabins, a farm-to-table restaurant, commercial buildings and a trail that would connect to River Road.
The plans are part of $24 million in capital projects that Conner Prairie announced last August that museum officials said would provide a “more complete and more inclusive” look at history and include expanding the museum west of the river into Carmel.
All of it will fit in quite nicely with the city of Carmel’s plans for a $4 million extension of the White River Greenway, which will expand to a good chunk of Conner Prairie’s property and provide more nature-focused experiences amid trees and wildlife.
Certainly, some steps might need to be taken to address any concerns of neighbors as the rezoning proposal heads to the Carmel City Council. But the museum’s efforts to deepen the visitor experience and expand its appeal generally need to be embraced.
A 2017 study estimated that Conner Prairie pumps $39.1 million into the Indiana economy each year, and its impact only promises to grow with the expansion.
As Conner Prairie Foundation Chair Chris Cooke said, the project is crucial in helping the museum realize its “vision of creating a world-class cultural and educational hub on the west side of our property.”
Last year, it attracted nearly 350,000 visitors and welcomed 43,000 students on school trips to learn about life on the prairie.
That’s not to mention the many other events and activities held at Conner Prairie, including outdoor performances by the Indianapolis Symphony Orchestra, a hot balloon festival and the popular “Headless Horseman” festival and haunted hayride event at Halloween.
The community already has warmly responded to the living history museum’s Prairie Pathways capital campaign, which will provide $15 million for the expansion plans.
Now it’s time for the Carmel City Council to work to overcome any residents’ concerns and give the project its final approval.
Anytime there is a reasonable and well-thought-out plan to enhance and promote one of our region’s treasures, we should take full advantage of it.•
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