The park is scheduled to receive $2.8 million in improvements and new amenities
INDIANAPOLIS – Today, Indy Parks announced upcoming environmental remediation and park improvement plans for Lt. Jr. Grd Graham Edward Martin Park, which is located along Fall Creek between Indiana Avenue and W 16th Street.
Planned improvements at Lt. Graham Edward Martin Park are funded through the Lilly Endowment Grant and federal earmark funds. Those federal funds required environmental testing, which uncovered previously unknown contamination. Prior to being established as a city park in 1979, the site had a history of mining and was later filled in with fill material. The type of fill material used was typical in the 1970s but is now considered to be unacceptable. In collaboration with the Indiana Department of Environmental Management (IDEM), the city performed a series of environmental investigations and soil sampling. Results show that some areas have metals and some polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) above the state regulatory limits for recreational sites. PAHs occur naturally in coal, crude oil, gas, and other products.
To mitigate the site, it will be capped and have a new two-foot layer of clean tested soil added on top per IDEM policy. The mitigation project will require the accumulation of several large piles of clean and tested soil to be brought to the park site. That includes clean tested soil from Indy Parks construction projects like Tarkington Park. During this process, Graham Edward Martin Park will be closed to the public to ensure a safe and efficient worksite.
After completion and additional testing, Indy Parks will begin work on a $2.8 million project upgrading the park. Mitigation funding for the site will come out of the Indy Parks Capital Budget. The project will include the construction of a new splash pad, playground, shelter, parking lot improvements, memorial plaza for Graham E. Martin, and a comfort station.
On December 5, 2024, Indy Parks held a public meeting at Riverside Park to provide information about the remediation and renovation to residents around Lt. Graham Edward Martin Park. The presentation from that meeting can be found here and includes renderings of the planned playground and splash pad. Environmental remediation work is expected to begin soon and be completed by early 2026, with construction on the park improvements to begin later that year.
