Destination Dispatch
- The Indianapolis Cultural Trail was completed in late 2012. The eight-mile bike and pedestrian pathway passes through five downtown cultural districts and connects to the Monon Trail and Broad Ripple Village. The $50 million project was a partnership between the City of Indianapolis, the Central Indiana Community Foundation and several local nonprofit groups. There are numerous pieces of public art along the trail, including the Glick Peace Walk with luminary gardens honoring humanitarians, decorative glass bus shelters and a “scent art” piece by artist Sean Derry. For more information, visit www.indyculturaltrail.org.
Kudos
- The Millenium Hotel in downtown Minneapolis has closed and will undergo a $20 million renovation, scheduled for completion in April 2013. Property upgrades will include public spaces, all 321 guest rooms and the 22,000 square feet of meeting facilities. In preparation for the remodel, the hotel donated approximately 1,900 pieces of furniture from 194 guest rooms, including dressers, bed frames and lamps, to local charities. For more information, call 612.332.6000 or visit www.millenniumhotels.com.
- The I Hotel and Conference Center at the University of Illinois in Champaign installed a 3,200-square-foot green roof system. It reduces both heating and cooling costs and improves downstream water quality by limiting storm water runoff and removing particulates that would otherwise traveling into the Embarrass River. The sustainability project was partially funded by a grant from the Illinois Environmental Protection Agency Green Infrastructure Grant Program for Stormwater Management. The I Hotel offers 126 guest rooms and a conference center measuring 38,000 square feet, with meeting rooms named after the local campus. For more information, call 217.819.5000 or visit www.stayatthei.com.