New Parksville Highway is Open – End of an Era, Rebirth of a Hamlet

Parksville as we knew it is gone forever. Traffic is now up on the new section of Route 17 / Future Interstate 86. Fiddles Dari King, the Fiddles Gas Station, and Memories were stops for hundreds, even thousands every Summer weekend. Those days of the traffic light on the quickway are gone – But Parksville, which has been around since the early 1800′s is primed to start anew.

The Parksville project is broken into two phases. Phase I of the Parksville project includes the highway and other improvements the DOT will make before the project moves into Phase II sometime in 2012. The improvements to come at the end of Phase I are:

-Installation of new parking lane, new curbing and new sidewalk on the north side of Short Avenue near Parksville Methodist Church

-Trail connection and parking near Fox Mountain Road

-Signing along the expressway in advance of the interchange

-Maximize visibility of Parksville from the highway through alignment and grading

Phase I of the highway project is almost complete and will lead to the start of Phase II hopefully during 2012. Phase II could totally transform the Hamlet and truly become ‘Parks’-ville (the ‘Parks’ in Parksville actually comes from one of the original residents of the Hamlet – William Parks).

Phase II will hopefully include the following:

Trail System: The proposed alternative includes .6 miles of trails, which are shown on the map (below). A 0.4 mile trail will start at the intersection of Main Street and former NYS Route 17 and will provide a view of a waterfall on the Little Beaver Kill, which is shown on the cover of this brochure. The trail will also connect the new fishing access point and new picnic area. The new picnic area and fishing area are approximately 0.25 miles apart. The two sites will also be accessible via former NYS Route 17 westbound and each will have a five space parking lot.

A second trail extension would begin at the existing rail trail and extend 0.2 miles to a new trailhead and parking lot overlooking the Little Beaver Kill. Information panels will also be added to the kiosk constructed at this location under Phase I. The proposed alternative also includes a bench at the war memorial, another on the trail near the picnic area, and a third overlooking the Little Beaver Kill at the former NYS Route 17 eastbound bridge abutments. An information panel will also be added to the kiosk constructed near the war memorial under Phase I.

Hamlet Center: Street trees (approximately 8-14 ft. tall), such as ornamental cherry trees, will be placed along Short Avenue and at the intersection of Short Avenue and Main Street. Trees will also be added at various locations along former NYS Route 17. These street trees should create a pleasant village like feeling for cars entering Parksville from NYS Route 17 or from either side of former NYS Route 17 westbound, which will become a local road.

Improvements to the hamlet center also include the creation of a parking lot on the southwest quadrant of the intersection of Short Ave and former NYS Route 17 westbound. The parking lot will provide approximately 30-40 spaces. The parking lot would be bordered by trees and shrubs to provide a pleasant finished look from the street. The parking lot will also include a rain garden, which is an environmentally friendly way to filter and absorb storm water run off from the parking lot. It will be planted with native plants that can stand short periods of heavy water, but also tolerate dryer periods of no rain.

Other Landscaping: A windbreak is proposed near O’Keefe Hill Rd.

Forest / Meadow Restoration: Native trees and shrubs will be planted in certain areas along the creek and its tributaries for shading and filtration. Some areas of the hillsides and slopes will also be re-vegetated with seedlings. These plantings will supplement Phase I plantings.

If you are interested in the future of Parksville and would like to help – the Parksville Priorities Committee (PPC) meets this Monday (9/12) at 7:00PM in the Rolling River Cafe, 25 Cooley Road, Parksville.

Feel free to share your memories of Parksville in the comments section of this post or on our Facebook page (http://www.facebook.com/libertyindy).

We will be adding another post shortly with photos of the new Highway and of the exits.