City To Begin Working On New Revitalization Projects

The city will be making investments into local community parks and will be entering into a contract to purchase land for a downtown grocery store.

(Madison, Ind.) – Many redevelopment and revitalization projects are coming to the City of Madison.

During Tuesday’s meeting, Mayor Courtney announced to the council that the city will be making investments into local community parks and will be entering into a contract to purchase land for a downtown grocery store.

Last week, the city parks board approved a recommended rate increase for 2021 for three of the city’s revenue-generating assets such as Crystal Beach, the City Campground, and Sunrise Golf Course.

“The importance of the acceptance of this rate increase is so that we can properly make investments into our neighborhood parks, and I believe that there is nothing more important than investing in our neighborhood parks,” said Mayor Courtney.

Gaines Park will be the first park to benefit from the reconstruction of the park's deparment. This park is the former site of Broadway High School, the first commission school to accept people of color. Broadway High School is a historic part of town and is one of the many community parks that have not been modernized in quite some time.

According to Mayor Courtney, the goal of the city is to improve how we manage and operate fee-generating assets within the park system to be able to provide sufficient capital to modernize neighborhood parks.

The city will be using the same footprint of the existing park but hopes to make it nicer for families to enjoy. Some of the new amenities the park will be seeing are expanded shelter areas, grilling, community gardens, new playground equipment, and a new basketball court.

The Broadway High School marker will be placed in one of the new foundation walls to recognize the historic contribution the area has made to the community.

A public input session will be held for the city to learn more about what the community wants from the area.

Another project that the city will begin working on soon is a grocery store for downtown.

Yesterday afternoon, the Redevelopment Commission approved for the city to enter into a contract to purchase land from Mulberry to 2nd street down to Vaughn Drive. The city will acquire this property and then market it to grocery store operators.

More is to come on this investment.

The city will be holding its next public council meeting on Tuesday, February 16 at 5:30 p.m. for those who would like to attend.

Rendering of possible changes to be made. Photo Provided.