Upgrades Ahead: Soil Cleanup and Park Enhancements for Graham Edward Martin Park

Park improvements are coming to Ensign Graham Edward Martin Park in Indianapolis. Indy Parks has announced environmental remediation and park upgrades for the site located at Fall Creek Parkway Drive and West 16th Street.

The $2.8 million project is funded through a Lilly Endowment Grant and federal earmark funds. However, the environmental testing required by these federal funds uncovered previously unknown contamination on the site.

"Prior to being established as a city park in 1979, the site had a history of mining and was later filled in with material now considered unacceptable,"

The city of Indianapolis, along with the Indiana Department of Environmental Management, conducted environmental investigations and soil sampling. The results showed that some areas had metals and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons above the state regulatory limits for recreational sites.

To mitigate the contamination, the site will be capped and a two-foot layer of clean soil added on top. The mitigation project will involve bringing in several large piles of clean soil to the park.

Graham Edward Martin Park will be closed to the public during the renovations. Once the environmental remediation is complete, Indy Parks will begin working on a project to upgrade the park.

The million-dollar project will feature a new splash pad, playground, shelter, parking lot improvements, memorial plaza for Graham E. Martin, and a comfort station.

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.