Old Mill Roundabout
Roundabout Progress Photos
Update October 21, 2024
If you’ve driven by the Roundabout, you may be wondering what is going on. It will be a pillar, based on Southwood Park’s Indiana Avenue Entrance Pillars from 1917.
The pillar will be atop the large concrete structure in the center. It will be 3 feet above a ring of landscaping. The landscaping ring will be 1 foot above a concrete apron designed to handle the trucks that make their way down Old Mill Road. Concrete work will take place over the next week and half to two weeks, weather and contingencies permitting. The landscaping will be in the ground this fall to allow for healthy roots next growing season.
The bulk of the pillar will be completed this fall. Pillar lighting will be installed next year. The Indiana limestone for the decorative cap are being quarried this fall. And the most exciting part… Fort Wayne artist Cary Shafer has been hired by the City of Fort Wayne Right-of-Way Department to carve the decorative parts for the column! If you know Mr. Shafer’s work, you may already know that his work is part of the National Cathedral in Washington, DC and he has completed pieces for the White House, among a long list of other commissions. We are honored that he will be working on this centerpiece of our beautiful neighborhood. Check out https://www.caryshafer.com/ for more information about the artist.
We want to give big thanks to Nick Jerrell of the Right-of-Way Department for devising this improvement to the Roundabout. Thank you to City Council and the Mayor for finding the way to fund improvements to this city infrastructure.
To make all this happen, the Roundabout will be closed to traffic for a week and a half to two weeks. This will allow all the work to happen in one phase. Detours will be posted. Neighbors who live next to the intersection will still be able to reach their homes, and might enjoy a respite from the traffic.
— Steve McCord
Roundabout Improvements Begin | February 7, 2024
For several years, car-damaged pine trees were the focal point of the Old Mill Road Roundabout. The Association struggled with errant drivers plowing through the landscaping. Oversize trucks regularly left ruts in the grass. It was a maintenance nightmare. In 2021, the Association Board of Directors shared these concerns with Nick Jerrell, City of Fort Wayne Right-of-Way Manager, and a plan took shape. City crews cleared the existing landscaping on February 7, 2024. When conditions allow, the installation of a sloping incline toward the middle will happen. A turf grass perimeter of 15-20 feet will remain. Native plantings on the incline will complete this stage of progress.
Here are some of the possibilities to look forward to this year:
FOUNDATION PLANTS
Carex radiata (Eastern Star Sedge)
Schizachyrium scoparium ‘The Blues’ (Little Bluestem grass var. ‘The Blues’)
Sporobolus heterolepis ‘Tara’ (Prairie Dropseed grass var. ‘Tara’)
Panicum virgatum ‘Shenandoah’ (Switch Grass var ‘Shenandoah’)
SPRING
Narcissus ‘DutchMaster’ (Daffodils ‘DutchMaster’)
Zizia aurea (Golden Alexander)
Penstemon grandifloras (Large-Flowered Beardtongue)
Penstemon digitalis (Foxglove Beardtongue)
Amsonia hubrichtii (Hubricht’s Bluestar)
SUMMER
Echinacea purpurea ‘PowWow’ Wild Berry (Purple Coneflower var. ‘PowWow Wild Berry’)
Coreopsis verticillata ‘Zagreb’(Threadleaf Coreopsis var. Zagreb)
Liatris spicata (Dense Blazingstar)
Rudbeckia fulgida var deamii ‘American Gold Rush’ (American Gold Rush Black-Eyed Susan)
FALL
Helianthus salicifolius ‘Autumn Gold’ (Autumn Gold Narrow-Leaved Sunflower)
Aster novae-angliae ‘Grape Crush’ (New England Aster ‘Grape Rush’)
Aster novae-angliae ‘Pink Crush’ (New England Aster ‘Pink Crush’)
Coreopsis palustris ‘Summer Sunshine’ (Summer Sunshine Beadle’s Tickseed)
Solidago rugosa ‘Fireworks’ (Rough Goldenrod ‘Fireworks’)
Maintenance of Roundabout landscaping will become responsibility of the City.
In the future, a more elaborate center design - possibly including a lighted pillar - could be installed along with textural concrete curb aprons. New, updated signage including directional chevrons, crosswalk improvements, and lane reconfigurations are also being discussed. But… these future phases of rebuilding the first Roundabout in Fort Wayne will depend on future funding levels for infrastructure projects for the City of Fort Wayne. The Board is excited for these improvements!
