We Want Your Input on the City's Comprehensive Plan!

The City of New Albany is currently updating its comprehensive plan, and we need your help and input!

What is a comprehensive plan?

The City of New Albany's comprehensive plan will help form a long-term vision for the community, looking at aspects such as economic development, growth and land use, housing, transportation, utilities, and quality of life.

How can you help?

As part of the comprehensive plan process, the City will be hosting a public workshop where residents are invited to attend and provide input and discuss priorities for the comprehensive plan.

When and where is the Public Workshop?

The workshop will be held Wednesday, September 28th at the Calumet Club (1614 East Spring Street). The workshop begins at 6pm.

An invitation from Mayor Gahan:

"I'd like to personally invite you to attend our comprehensive plan public workshop. This is a valuable opportunity to share your thoughts with us about how you would like to see New Albany moving forward over the next few years. By working together, we can ensure that we make New Albany the best city it can be for all of us, and we can work towards making our shared vision a reality."

Harvest Homecoming Fiesta Rides $5 Off Coupon Through NA Parks

Harvest Homecoming is just around the corner, with parade day set for Saturday, October 1st! Each year, the Harvest Homecoming Festival hosts their Fiesta Rides at the end of Pearl Street near the levee.  From October 1st through October 5th, visitors will be able to purchase All Day Fiesta Ride Passes for $15. 

For the third year, Mayor Jeff Gahan and the City of New Albany will be offering discount coupons for all day ride passes at two locations, the Griffin Street Center (1140 Griffin St.) and Silver Street Park (2043 Silver Street).  These coupons will act as a $5 discount on the All Day Fiesta Ride Passes when presented to the ride operators.  Coupons are limited to the first 1000 distributed by the City Parks Department. 

Pick up your coupon during normal business hours at either the Griffin Street Center (10am - 4pm) or Silver Street Park (8am – 4pm) beginning on Monday, September 26th.  They will be available from that date until the end of All Day Fiesta Rides on Wednesday, October 5th, or until all 1000 have been redeemed.  The full schedule for All Day Fiesta Rides is below.

Saturday, October 1st : 1:00pm – 6:00pm

Sunday, October 2nd : 1:00pm – 6:00pm

Monday, October 3rd : 5:00pm – 9:00pm

Tuesday, October 4th : 5:00pm – 9:00pm

Wednesday, October 5th : 5:00pm – 10:00pm

Board of Works Set to Hear Proposal on Reverting Key Downtown Streets to 2-way

"What once was old is new again" as the Board of Public Works and Safety prepares to hear a proposal from HWC Engineering regarding the possibility of reverting some key downtown streets from 1-way traffic to 2-way traffic at next Tuesday's meeting (9/13, 10am).

Here are some interesting historic photos of how traffic flowed on certain streets in the past.

New Albany Inn on Market Street in the late 1950s.

The Tavern Hotel (New Albany Inn) Building in the 1950s.

These pictures of the old New Albany Inn (now Brooklyn and the Butcher) were taken in the 1950s. If you notice how the cars are parked in front, you can tell that traffic still flowed one-way on Market Street, but in the opposite direction! Traffic flowed westbound instead of the current eastbound one-way traffic. Even more interesting, around the corner on Bank Street, traffic flowed southbound instead of the current northbound configuration.

Pearl Street with 2-way Traffic during the 1940s.

This picture shows Pearl Street in the 1940s, with the beautiful old United States Post Office and Court House Building (in the right foreground). Traffic here is seen moving 2-ways along Pearl Street.

Spring Street as a 2-way street during the early 1960s.

Pictured above is the old Floyd County Jail on Spring Street, with traffic moving 2-ways in front of it. This picture was taken in the early 1960s.

Lots of Fun This Weekend in NA Parks

There's something for everyone this weekend happening in New Albany Parks.

On Friday night, the penultimate Bicentennial Park Concert for the season starts at 6:30pm in downtown New Albany and features Parker Millsap. Parker recently received a nomination for the coveted "Best Album Of The Year" category in the 15th Annual Americana Music Association's Honors & Awards Show! He also was named as an "Emerging Artist of the Year" in 2014 for his signature blend of blues, country, alt-country/Americana, and folk music. Click HERE to check out an article about Parker in Rolling Stone magazine.*

On Saturday, the fun continues with WATER WARS! This is our first ever water gun fight held at Silver Street Park. The event will run from 1:00 - 6:00 pm, with the water gun fight beginning at 2:30pm. For a full list of details for this event, please check out the flyer by clicking HERE.

Afterwards, head on over to Sertoma Park (1315 Mill Lane) for a free showing of Zootopia. The venue opens at 7:00pm with the movie starting at dark. Food vendors will be on site, and it is encouraged to bring a lawn chair or blanket to the event to relax on. 

*Thanks to our sponsors for the Bicentennial Park Concert Series: McNeely Stephenson, 91.9 WFPK, and the Hoseshoe Foundation of Floyd County.

Southern Indiana Realtors Association Endorses NAFCS Referendum

The Southern Indiana Realtors Association has endorsed the proposed New Albany Floyd County Schools Referendum that will be on the ballot this November. If passed, this referendum will bring much needed improvements to nine (9) local schools all while maintaining the current tax rate.

Sara White, President-Elect of SIRA

“We fully support the NAFCS Referendum which will bring much needed improvements to nine area schools,” stated Sara White, President-elect of the Southern Indiana Realtors Association and managing broker for Semonin Realtors Southern Indiana. “The funds will come at no additional cost to taxpayers and will be used to improve safety and access. Strong schools improve property values which is a win for homeowners with school-aged children and those without. I'm especially excited about the proposal for Prosser, allowing it to grow with the times and help meet the strong demand for workforce development in our community.”

Dr. Bruce Hibbard, NAFCS Superintendent

“I sincerely appreciate the efforts of the Realtor's Association to support the NAFCS referendum,” stated New Albany-Floyd County Schools Superintendent Bruce Hibbard. “Above all, local realtors know the importance of a great education and its positive impact on our children and the greater community. Further, these projects will increase property values while not increasing the cost to tax payers of Floyd County.”

A rendering of the proposed update to Prosser Career Education Center.

Prosser Career Education Center will receive a large boost from the referendum, helping bring our nearly 50-year old technology and vocational-training facility into the modern age so that we can continue providing our local students with hands-on job training, practical applications, and workforce placement in a safe environment. Given their age, Green Valley Elementary (built in 1955) and Slate Run Elementary Schools (built in 1963) are set for complete rebuilds. Six other New Albany-Floyd County Schools are also set to receive improvements that will help keep our kids safe while they learn and prepare for the future in modern facilities. By investing in our community schools, we can help solidify and strengthen surrounding neighborhoods for generations to come.

A rendering of the proposed rebuild of Green Valley Elementary.

A rendering of the proposed rebuild of Slate Run Elementary.

“I want to thank the Southern Indiana Realtor’s Association for their support of a YES vote for our schools this November,” stated Mayor Jeff Gahan. “As I’ve stated before, a yes vote will bring much needed building renovations and modernization to our schools in Floyd County. Students, residents, and businesses will all share in the benefits. A yes vote keeps the tax rate at the current level while ensuring that New Albany Floyd County Schools remain the scholastic leader in the region."