Mayor Gahan's Key Initiatives for 2025 Move Forward

Earlier this month, Mayor Gahan put forward a proposal that would improve services across three key areas: a new animal shelter to better serve the needs of residents and animals, a new public works facility to improve equipment and services, and new developments aimed at improving Health and Wellness as well as initiatives to help preserve the New Albany Shoreline.

At their last meeting, the New Albany City Council voted 6-2-1 in favor of moving these projects forward. Today, the New Albany Redevelopment Commission also unanimously voted in favor of advancing these projects.

“It is great to see that both the City Council, your body of local elected representatives, as well as the New Albany Redevelopment Commission, composed of business leaders, residents, and stakeholders have all agreed on the need for these improvements,” stated Mayor Jeff Gahan. “We are excited to break ground on these initiatives this year so that we can continue improving the quality of life, health, and public services for the people of New Albany.”

NEW ALBANY ANIMAL SHELTER

The City of New Albany is committed to providing high-quality care, adoption services, health services, and more to the animals in our community. In 2024 alone, the New Albany Animal Shelter served over 1,000 animals, pushing the limits of the current facility. The need has been increasing in recent years, and this new animal shelter will help meet the growing demands for adoptions, health services, training, and other services.

“New Albany has a tradition of providing high quality health care and services to our furry friends, and this new Animal Shelter will continue and add to that tradition for years to come,” stated Mayor Gahan.

PUBLIC WORKS FACILITY

The current public works facility is over 50 years old, but this new initiative will refresh, modernize, and expand the facility to house more materials and equipment, as well as provide more space for training. These new improvements will help better prepare for the high level of demand that can be placed on public works departments during emergency response and inclement weather response events, as well as improve day-to-day services and operations like pothole repair, improving roadways, and training.

HEALTH AND WELLNESS: Preserving our Shoreline

Over the past decade, New Albany has improved many of its shoreline and recreational facilities and areas, but feedback from surveys, public meetings, and talking with residents and businesses shows that there is a strong desire for people to have opportunities to stay fit, be outdoors, and enjoy natural amenities.

“It’s clear that people want more local opportunities to improve their health and wellness, but they also want to be in spaces where they can enjoy our wonderful natural resources,” stated Mayor Jeff Gahan. “These public improvements will unlock new opportunities to stay healthy and fit, while protecting some of the most beautiful, natural areas of our Shoreline for all of our residents to enjoy.”

Two of these improvements are along the western Shoreline, and include both a Recreational Vehicle Park and a Mountain Bike Trail. These new areas will expand opportunities for people to use our Shoreline, protect the natural beauty of the area for all to enjoy, and encourage additional growth and private investment in our city.

Other planned health and wellness improvements include the addition of new turf fields at Silver Street Park. This new surface will replace existing grass fields, and will allow the fields to be used for an addition 190 days per year! Not only will there be more days for leagues, practices, games, and more, but the maintenance cost of the fields will reduce significantly.

"These initiatives reflect our dedication to the people of New Albany. These types of improvements and investments will provide the groundwork for a more vibrant, resilient, and thriving community. Together, we are ensuring that New Albany remains a city where every resident can afford a high quality of life, today and well into the future," stated Mayor Jeff Gahan.

Welcome Wendy!

WELCOME WENDY:

The City of New Albany is pleased to introduce our newest Animal Shelter Director, Wendy Byrn! Wendy began with the City of New Albany shortly after longtime shelter director David Hall announced his retirement, and she has hit the ground running.

Wendy is a southern Indiana native that grew up on a small, local farm. Her father was a thoroughbred blacksmith, so she spent many of her younger years at farms and surrounded by horses.

She started working at a veterinary clinic early in her career, and spent several years there before moving into an animal welfare position. After some time, she returned to veterinary medicine, but she always had the goal of working with and leading an animal shelter.

“I felt like I could do more to help animals and people in a shelter than at a veterinary clinic,” stated Ms. Byrn. “These shelter animals are of a much higher need than the typical animal in a home, and I wanted to help where I could have the most impact. I’m thrilled to be here at the City of New Albany and look forward to serving in this new role.” 

“Wendy is a great addition to the City of New Albany, and her expertise and care for animals will be a huge benefit to the people of our River City,” stated Mayor Jeff Gahan.

MAYOR GAHAN RESPONDS TO ARMY CORPS OF ENGINEERS ORDER CONCERNING HISTORIC GLENMILL PARK DAM

MAYOR GAHAN RESPONDS TO ARMY CORPS OF ENGINEERS ORDER CONCERNING HISTORIC GLENMILL PARK DAM

On Memorial Day Weekend, a young man lost his life at the Glenmill Park Dam. He lost his life because of what is known as a “hydraulic roller effect” at the dam, which is a recirculating current that can trap swimmers underwater.

This came after three years of ongoing court battles regarding what to do with the dam, with zero resolution of any kind. The City of New Albany and my administration have made dozens of attempts to gather all parties involved in this dispute to sit down at a table and discuss solutions that would benefit everyone, and every time, we have been refused. We even tried to get a court ordered mediation, and they still would not sit down at a table with us to discuss. 

Some would say, “why not just let them take the dam out?” Well, the truth is, the area serves thousands of people each year. People who want to fish, people who want to swim, and others who just want to enjoy a scenic view of nature. Completely removing the dam would be a disservice to those people who utilize this area regularly.

These are people that I, as Mayor, and the City Council, were all elected to serve. No one else would stand up for these people to protect their assets. Just recently, the Department of Natural Resources authorized a court filing calling the dam a “drowning machine” that will “continue to risk public safety” if it remains as-is. This was the first time that DNR had acknowledged in court that this was a severe public safety risk.

I was not going to have another person lose their life in our City because no one would take responsibility to solve this immediate public safety risk as identified by DNR. We declared a state of emergency and mobilized crews to eliminate the dangerous hydraulic roller effect. We accomplished this through restoring the dam to its original condition, seen in the historic photo above. Rock fill was used to eliminate the dangerous hydraulic roller effect.

Now, outside agencies are asking that we remove the fill. They are asking us to recreate a dangerous situation where someone else can lose their life. They are asking us to restore the dam to an unmaintained and dangerous condition.

This is now a legal matter, which limits some of the comments I can make. However, because of this action, not another person will drown because of the hydraulic roller effect at our historic Glenmill Park Dam on Silver Creek.

MAYOR GAHAN AUTHORIZES EMERGENCY MAINTENANCE TO IMPROVE SAFETY AT HISTORIC DAM – ENCOURAGES SIMILAR MAINTENANCE AT BLACKISTON MILL DAM

MAYOR GAHAN AUTHORIZES EMERGENCY MAINTENANCE TO IMPROVE SAFETY AT HISTORIC DAM – ENCOURAGES SIMILAR MAINTENANCE AT BLACKISTON MILL DAM

The City of New Albany has mobilized a crew to perform maintenance to the historic Glenmill Park Dam at Silver Creek Landing.

The historic Glenmill Park Dam was placed into service 108 years ago to maintain water supply, provide habitat for wildlife, reduce flash flooding, protect the ecosystem, and create recreational opportunities for the popular Glenmill Park.

The New Albany City Council has voted twice in favor of resolutions that encourage modifications to the dam to improve safety. Additionally, in a recent court filing, the Indiana Department of Natural Resources authorized a filing that indicated the “drowning machine at… Providence Mill Dam, will… continue to risk public safety” if it remains as-is.

Due to these factors, Mayor Gahan has authorized emergency maintenance to be conducted at the site to eliminate the hydraulic roller effect caused by the current condition of the dam. The site is currently closed while this maintenance is underway.

Recent weather patterns have interrupted the work, but the City of New Albany plans to resume the maintenance at Silver Creek Landing once the weather permits. DNR personnel have visited the maintenance work site.

“For years, we have been improving water safety in the City of New Albany through our improvements to the New Albany Shoreline and other waterways, and this maintenance at the historic Glenmill Park Dam is another example of our commitment to safe recreation,” stated Mayor Jeff Gahan. “I would encourage Origin Park and other Clark County neighbors to follow our lead and pursue similar action at their own Blackiston Mill Dam, so that everyone in our region can experience safe recreation in Silver Creek.”

Statement From Mayor Jeff Gahan Regarding Glenmill Park Dam Safety Improvements

Statement from Mayor Jeff Gahan Regarding Glenmill Park Dam Safety Improvements

The historic Glenmill Park Dam is an important part of New Albany’s infrastructure and recreational opportunities. It was placed in to service 108 years ago for multiple reasons, including to maintain water supply, provide habitat for wildlife, reduce flash flooding, protect the ecosystem, and create swimming, fishing, and paddling opportunities for residents on both sides of Silver Creek. These reasons still exist today. If the dam is removed, these benefits will be lost forever.

However, like many other ideas from over 100 years ago, dam technology has changed and improved. Today, we know how to make this dam safer, and you can see examples of widely used modifications in the attached pictures. Improvements like these are widely accepted by engineers and scientists as ways of modifying low-head dams to retain the infrastructure benefits while still allowing for safe recreation. They remove the dangerous undercurrent associated with low-head dams, but they still provide safe access to the water for recreation. 

An image of the current Glenmill Park Dam

An “After” Image of Proposed Safety Improvements

River Heritage Conservancy and Origin Park unilaterally initiated a plan to destroy the Glenmill Park Dam. For years, Origin Park has been pursuing destruction of this public infrastructure, and for years, the City of New Albany has been attempting to meet with Origin Park to discuss converting the dam to improve its safety. Origin Park has declined every opportunity to meet. On November 15, 2022, The New Albany City Council unanimously approved a resolution opposing the destruction of the Glenmill Park Dam until all parties met to consider all options, including the City’s safety modification plans. Once again, Origin Park declined the opportunity to meet.

For over two decades, the City of New Albany has been improving access to our water ways. We are a River City, and for the first time ever, the people of New Albany own the New Albany Greenway, lands along the New Albany side of Silver Creek, the entire Riverfront, and the New Albany Loop Island Wetlands. Many changes have been made to improve these areas and make them safer, but more can be done to improve the safety at the Glenmill Park Dam, and now is the time to do it. Destroying this piece of infrastructure is not the solution.

By converting the dam and improving dam safety, we can:

1. Retain the important infrastructure benefits it serves, like providing water supply, flash flood protection, and ecological benefits for fish and wildlife

2. Retain the historical value that the site holds

3. Provide a safe area for recreation

In the spirit of Dam Safety, I encourage River Heritage Conservancy and our neighbors in Clark County to address the Blackiston Mill Low-Head Dam in Clark County. That dam has an even higher drop than the Glenmill Park Dam, and I would encourage them to pursue a conversion like the one we are finalizing.

Historic Photo of residents recreating along Blackiston Mill Dam

Current Photo of Blackiston Mill Dam in Clark County

River Heritage Conservancy and Origin Park were recently awarded over $40 million in taxpayer funds by the State of Indiana. The City of New Albany and River Heritage Conservancy should work together to improve dam safety and enhance recreational opportunities for everyone. The time for them to meet with us is long overdue.

We are looking forward to discussing this and working on solutions with the New Albany City Council soon.