There's a lot of news in the Ripple:

The completion date for the Broad Ripple Dam project has been moved to late August/early September instead of June. According to Citizens Water, the delay is due in part to the rain we had in April which slowed down progress significantly.

Will Meridian Street ever go back to 4 lanes near Holliday Park? Maybe this fall according to the Indianapolis Department of Public Works. The Meridian Bridge over the White River (where Meridian goes down to 2 lanes) is part of a bridge maintenance project that began in 2011.

The bridge was built in 1926 and is the only 7-span arch bridge in Indianapolis. In addition to delays for the complex concrete work, working near a levee under one of the bridge spans required additional time for design and construction.

I can't wait for Meridian to re-open and also the trails underneath it to link us again to Holliday Park.

The City of Indianapolis is working with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to construct a levee on the city's north side. Right now they are completing Levee IIIB which is an earthen levee that will extend the levee from Kessler to the north edge of the Riviera Club. For more information on the U.S. Army Corp of Engineers and the flood damage reduction project please visit http://www.indy.gov/eGov/City/DPW/RebuildIndy/Projects/Pages/IndianapolisNorthLeveeProject.aspx

Coming up at the Glendale Library are several great programs including a movie, a juggling show, and "Critter Chats". Contact them for more information.

Why did the Parks Department cut the arbor vitae and other trees in front of the Broad Ripple Pool building? It is sad to see perfectly good trees which took years to mature butchered. Staff said a landscape maintenance company takes care of this. The trees were chopped to the group although the stumps remain. Very sad.