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."

City Receives $1 Million Grant For Road Improvements

This morning, the City of New Albany was awarded a grant under the State of Indiana’s Community Crossings matching grant fund. The Community Crossings initiative was created earlier this year as a local road and bridge matching grant fund (funds are matched on a 50/50 basis). The grant helps communities with road resurfacing, bridge rehabilitation, road reconstruction, and ADA (Americans with Disabilities Act) compliance within road projects.

Debra Ault, Program Manager with INDOT Seymour District presents Mayor Gahan with the $1 million grant.

The grant, totaling $1 million, will go towards improving street infrastructure within the city of New Albany. Three projects were submitted by the City of New Albany for consideration in the Community Crossings program: the city-wide paving project, the full reconstruction of Bono Road, and the downtown grid modernization project.

“We are thrilled to receive these funds that will help us continue to improve our infrastructure throughout the city,” stated Mayor Jeff Gahan.

Road projects continue to progress throughout the city, with numerous improvements currently undergoing construction. Additionally, the city received the results of a comprehensive street condition analysis that details the status of New Albany roads earlier this week, providing a clear direction to continue improving roadways and accessibility throughout the city.

“This is great timing considering we just received the results of our street condition analysis,” stated Mayor Gahan. “We know that there are road and street improvements that are long overdue. We will continue discussing the need for these improvements with the city council and how we can best improve street and road conditions city-wide over the next five years.”

City Works to Minimize Morning Commute Traffic Congestion During Construction

The City of New Albany and New Albany Police Department are working to address and mitigate traffic congestion on downtown and feeder roadways during the daily morning commute that is caused by several factors such as I-64/I-264 interchange rehabilitation and when traffic accidents occur during the morning drive.

The NAPD has identified four areas where traffic bottle-necking is likely to occur:

1. W. Main St. at W. 5th St.
2. W. Spring St. at the I-64 interchange
3. W. Spring St. at Scribner Av.
4. Spring St. at State St.

Chief Bailey has stated that officers will respond to these and other locations as needed to ensure a “safe and speedy” commute for everybody. 

Bottleneck areas identified by the NAPD during the morning commute.

Additionally, NAPD Chief Bailey mentioned the following tips to motorists to “ensure the quickest and easiest commute possible.”

1. Please utilize all available lanes / turn lanes on Spring St. and W. Main St. (Motorists tend to get into the center lane on Spring St. which has a bottleneck effect at the interchange)
2. Do not block intersections or enter an intersection you cannot obviously clear. This action is not only unlawful but creates more issues after the fact.
3. Be courteous to fellow drivers by letting others merge when possible.
4. Follow the instructions of Police Officers.  They are there to help.

“These traffic congestion issues are the product of many factors, including the interchange re-construction and traffic accidents. We are doing our best to ensure that we are reviewing all traffic patterns and how we can best accomodate them during these construction periods. Long-term, we hope that these issues will be mitigated by our Downtown Grid Modernization Project,” stated Mayor Jeff Gahan.

Street Sign Improvement Project

An old and fading sign and street post is marked for replacement.

Noticed any of these around town? Over the past few days, crews have been busy marking certain street signs and posts with an orange marker. 

These signs are being marked for upgrades in order to meet new retro-reflectivity standards. A total of nearly 1800 new signs will be replacing old and faded regulatory and directional signs. Signs to be replaced include stop signs, street names, speed limits, etc.

These new signs will help increase clarity and safety for both pedestrians and drivers. The installation of the new signs is scheduled to begin in late August and should be completed by the end of October.