Summer Celebration

We had a great time at this weekend's Summer Celebration! Thousands came out to celebrate back to school time with some fun music, great local food, and beautiful fireworks.

August 6th, 2016. Summer Celebration at the New Albany Riverfront Amphitheater.

Local country music favorites WildWood kicked things off with their high-energy set and southern vocal stylings, playing tracks off their 2015 release Leave the Light On along with modern country hits. After their performance, we were joined by the Indiana State Basketball Champion New Albany Bulldogs who thanked the crowd of New Albany faithful for their support on their historic run, before presenting the crowd with the state title trophy, bringing it home for the first time since 1973. After, members of the New Albany Floyd County School urged residents to support the upcoming school referendum that will add improvements for 9 community schools, a measure that Mayor Gahan strongly endorsed after touring the school system earlier this year. A state championship winning choir from our local schools then led us in the National Anthem before the legendary Louisville Crashers took the stage.

WildWood takes the stage.

Coach Shannon and New Albany Basketball Players.

After the anthem, the Louisville Crashers took the stage and wowed the crowd with their unbelievable take on modern pop music, keeping the crowd dancing and singing their hearts out until it was time for the fireworks. As the time came near, lead singer Mark Maxwell led the crowd in a countdown to the fireworks - and the night sky lit up beautifully on cue.

Thanks to everyone who came out and celebrated back to school time with us at the 2016 Summer Celebration. We also want to thank our sponsors for the event, the Horseshoe Foundation of Floyd County and McBrides Fleet.

A Fun-Filled Weekend in Downtown

This weekend is jam-packed with fun and live entertainment in downtown New Albany!

Friday kicks things off with the Bicentennial Park Summer Concert Series, a weekly, family-friendly and free-admission concert set in the beautiful Bicentennial Park.

Friday's concert features Hot Brown Smackdown, a 6-piece jamgrass ensemble with powerful bluegrass polyphony and high-energy groove and soul.

On Saturday morning, the New Albany Farmer's Market kicks off at 8am and plays host to La Leche League's Family Festival, featuring children's activities, bounce house, raffles, face painting, and more! The festival and all activities are free!

Downtown New Albany merchants will also be hosting a "block party," offering special sales and surprises beginning at 10am. All of this leads up to the evening's Summer Celebration at the Riverfront Amphitheater.

The Summer Celebration kicks off at 6pm and is a wonderful way to celebrate back to school time with your family. This family-friendly event features tons of local food options, children's inflatables, a bubble party, and more! Local country music favorites WildWood kick off the live music at 6:30, with the legendary Louisville Crashers taking the stage around 8:30. This event is proudly sponsored by the Horseshoe Foundation of Floyd County and McBrides Fleet.

After the Crashers first set, the night sky will light up with a beautiful fireworks display. We hope that you and your family can join us as we celebrate "back to school" time!

Mt. Tabor Road Restoration and Pedestrian Safety Project Update

The Mt. Tabor Road Restoration and Pedestrian Safety project includes nearly 1.1 miles of new road construction, full curbs, gutters, and sidewalks. The need for this project is clear, considering the renewed surface cracking and foundation shifting occurring near the Slate Run creek slopes, along with the lack of any pedestrian facilities along the roadway. This project will provide a much needed reconstructed road that will aim to improve both pedestrian safety and provide traffic calming mechanisms.

Additionally, this project will provide a long-term solution to the road-erosion and safety issues on Mt. Tabor Road.  Over 2 years ago, a slide occurred on the hillside of Mt. Tabor Road.  The City provided a temporary solution to the road failure and erosion issues 2 years ago, and this new federally funded project (80% federal funding, 20% local funding) will ensure that a long-term solution is in place that keeps residents and families in the neighborhood safe. The total anticipated cost for the Mt. Tabor road reconstruction project is about $6.5 million, with the city’s 20% percentage being about $1.3 million.

The original plans for improvement to the area called for a roundabout at the intersection of Mt. Tabor Road and Klerner Lane. After receiving feedback from residents and neighbors, this intersection has been scaled back to a 4-way intersection with a traffic signal.

A public project review and open house is set for August 22nd from 6pm-8pm at Our Lady of Perpetual Help in the basement area. Representatives from the engineering consultants for the project (Beam, Longest, and Neff) along with city officials will be available to answer questions or concerns brought up by neighbors. 

"In the meantime, project and city officials will be contacting residents directly as they pertain to individual concerns," stated John Rosenbarger, Public Works Projects Supervisor.

Hairspray the Musical at the Riverfront Amphitheater

New Albany Riverstage Productions are back this weekend with their latest show, Hairspray!

Hairspray tells the story of teenager Tracy Turnblad and her quest to be on the Corny Collins show. When Tracy gets the opportunity to audition to dance on the show, she quickly jumps on it - but this doesn't sit well with scheming dance queen Amber von Tussle, who plots with her mother Velma to remove Tracy from the show at all costs.

This is the third year at the Riverfront Amphitheater for New Albany Riverstage Productions, having shown Grease in 2015 and Seussical the Musical in 2014. This production is proudly presented by the Horseshoe Foundation of Floyd County and the City of New Albany.

Seussical the Musical at the New Albany Riverfront Amphitheater, 2014.

Director Alonzo Richmond is very excited about this year's show, and is encouraging everyone to come check out the buzz.

"We are blessed to have such a talented and dedicated group of young performers," stated Riverstage Productions Director Alonzo Richmond. "Each year, I'm amazed by the level of skill and professionalism that the young actors in our community possess, and we are very pleased with how the show has come together." 

Tickets are still available for this weekend's performance, but they are going fast! Be sure to reserve yours at www.newalbanyriverstageproductions.com or by clicking HERE.

DATE: Friday (July 22), Saturday (July 23), or Sunday (July 24)
TIME: 8PM
LOCATION: New Albany Riverfront Amphitheater
TICKETS: $10 per adult, $5 per senior/child

This event is proudly presented by the Horseshoe Foundation of Floyd County and the City of New Albany.

Pardon our Dust - Roadways Under Construction

Pardon our dust! Numerous roadways are simultaneously under construction in New Albany to help motorists and pedestrians travel safer. To help keep you informed and up-to-date, we've put together a list that explains each project.

Spring Street

Spring St. and Silver St. Intersection

Spring St. and Thomas St. Intersection

This safety and roadway improvement project received special federal Highway Safety Improvement Program grant money to help correct the roadway. To read the full details of the project, please click HERE.

This project began yesterday morning (Monday, July 11th), and experienced heavy congestion through rush hour. To combat this, we have adjusted the signal timings to allow smoother access moving East-West along Spring Street. We will continue monitoring the traffic in this area and adjusting signals as necessary to make it as smooth as possible during construction. 

Bono Road

Bids were opened at today’s Redevelopment Commission for the full reconstruction of Bono Road. Construction has been ongoing in the area, as utility companies have mobilized to repair and re-run lines before the road construction begins. Due to the base failure, many potholes and cracks had opened in the roadway, which has now prompted the full-depth reconstruction and re-paving of the roadway. This project is estimated to be completed in mid-November. Travel will be limited to local access only. For all others, a detour will take motorists from Green Valley Road to Daisy Lane to Graybrook.

McDonald Lane

McDonald Lane near Charlestown Road

McDonald Lane facing Grant Line Road

Phase 1 of the project, from Charlestown Road to Hickory Vale is currently underway. This phase calls for a full complete reconstruction of the pathway. During this phase, curbs, gutters, and complete stormwater system are being added, new traffic signals, along with sidewalks and new road reconstruction and paving. This project is expected to be complete in the Fall of 2017.

From August 2nd through August 4th, the railroad crossing on McDonald Lane (near Bruce Fox) will be closed so that the railway can complete a full replacement of the crossing.

5th and Elm

After digging up the intersection, it was discovered that water was escaping the stormsewer system during heavy rains. This caused nearby soil to wash away, and the roadway to begin sinking, forming the "dip" in the road. Over time, this also caused the sewer and stormwater lines to shift. This project will repair those lines, and repair the foundation of the roadway all the way to the bedrock to ensure that the system will not move in the future.

Update on City-wide Paving Project

Over the past month, crews began replacing sidewalk ramps to meet ADA standards ahead of scheduled city-wide paving.  Paving is scheduled to begin July 25th.