COLUMN: Trailing or Leading: MYPath a place to meet

As many people in our community are discovering, the MYPath trail is a great place to walk, run and ride a bicycle. With new improvements, MYPath has also become a great place to sit, talk, share a picnic and meet others.

Last year, the Indiana Office of Community and Rural Affairs (OCRA) revealed that loneliness and social isolation were affecting the mental health and well-being of Hoosiers, especially in rural communities. During the pandemic, a lot of gatherings were cancelled. A lot of social networks were frayed. To help, OCRA offered the Building Socially Connect Communities grant program.

The MYPath Riverfront Trail was in the process of being paved. A new bridge was on the way. We knew the path was going to be a nice trail for the community. But we also knew it could be more. Wouldn’t a new trail be a great resource for people to get together? Our Wednesday walks were nice activities for a small group of people. Couldn’t other groups meet, at other times, for other reasons?

MYPath could be more than a trail. It could be a resource, a facility for community groups to meet.

We submitted our Meet Me on MYPath program to OCRA. We shared that, according to census records, Owen County has 2,500 people living alone. In a county of less than 22,000 people, that is “a gripping number,” we said. Through partnerships with area organizations, we would host events at MYPath, giving more people an opportunity to connect with one another.

First, we needed infrastructure for gatherings. People are encouraged to come to MYPath regardless of physical abilities. Some people can run a long way, but due to health considerations, other people can’t walk very far at all. All should feel welcome. So, we asked for seven benches along the trail, for resting, bird watching or just talking.

To help support events, we asked for a new pavilion, with picnic tables. We shared plans for a new fire ring with benches. We proposed way-finding signs so visitors could follow all the side trails. And we pledged partnerships with Area 10 Agency on Aging, Boys and Girls Club of Owen County, Owen Valley Rehabilitation and Health Care and Spencer Pride.

Thankfully, OCRA granted us money to pursue our goals. It was a matching grant, so the Owen County Community Foundation and community members provided resources too.

From the beginning of MYPath, we envisioned the trail being an amenity for gathering. In fact, our original construction plans included benches and signs with a placeholder for a pavilion. Unfortunately, the bridge cost way more than anticipated. To afford the trail and the bridge, we needed to scale back our plans, eliminating the benches and signs.

OCRA’s efforts to Build Socially Connected Communities and our efforts to build a socially connected trail matched perfectly. Thank you to OCRA for completing our vision.

OCRA’s contributions are working as planned. We see people resting on the benches, talking to each other and trail walkers. The Boys and Girls Club of Owen County has already had a walk on the trail, where they were having fun trying to complete a nature scavenger hunt. Spencer Pride has a Rainbow Birders event planned for July 19.

We hope you have had a chance to see the new benches. The new pavilion is fabulous, and it is known as Dave’s Pavilion, in honor of the late Dave Allen, who was a tireless community advocate and founder of the JROTC program at Owen Valley High School.

Trail usage is increasing, thanks in part to the upgraded trail and the new benches and tables. Our Wednesday at 10 a.m. walks have been growing. We just added a new event, Wag and Walk, with walkers and leashed dogs on Sundays at 2 p.m.

Feel free to join one of our scheduled walks. Of course, you are certainly welcome to visit the trail on your own time. If you have a chance to bring a friend or neighbor, please do. At the very least, please nod politely to other people using the trail. If loneliness is a challenge in our community, we can all do our part, so others feel connected.

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Kyle Hannon is the project manager for the MYPath Trail System. He has served in many community development and trail connection roles throughout the state. On many weekends, he serves as an interpretive specialist at McCormick’s Creek State Park.