This petition is to show Dekalb, Mercer and PATH that we remain united and committed to saving the ENTIRE Henderson Mill Creek floodplain from the plans to pave a 12' wide concrete bike road through it, turning HMC into a transportation connectivity corridor.

The HMC floodplain is a natural wilderness, a forested floodplain and wetlands. It is habitat to a wide range of wildlife. It is a highly functional and highly absorbent FEMA AE floodzone, protecting the neighborhood from creek overflow. It provides a serene and quiet backdrop for the neighborhood, along with privacy and security for the neighbors backing it. It is also a narrow and fragile area which would be permanently damaged by this bike road construction.

In its most recent presentation (Oct 2024), Dekalb did remove a significant portion of the HMC floodplain from their paving plans. However, a substantial part (west side, Hollinswood->North Fork) still remains in the plan. The plan still ignores the alternative routing from Flowers Road to Brandywine. The Flowers-Brandywine alternative would be bike-safe, pretty, easy to build, and would completely spare the entire HMC floodplain - See Map.

• Don't irrevocably damage ANY of the HMC floodplain with this bike road construction, including the area from Hollinswood to the North Fork.
• This segment would be a foothold, making it much easier for a future attempt to pave the remainder of the HMC floodplain. NO floodplain paving now and NO paving later!
• Spare the ENTIRE HMC floodplain - use the perfectly fine full Flowers-to-Brandywine routings instead.

https://SaveHendersonMillCreek.org