Greenwood mayor to unveil plans for old middle school site
INDIANAPOLIS (WISH) — Greenwood’s mayor is set to give his state of the city address at 11:30 a.m. on Thursday. Mayor Mark Myers told 24-Hour News 8 he will unveil the first phase of plans for the old middle school site.
Myers said the first phase will focus on walkability, connectivity and enhancing the downtown area. Myers’ office said there will likely be a green space and some sort of a community gathering place.
“You’re going to see a total enhancement of all of that property — 19 acres that we’re going to use every square inch of. We want everyone to know Greenwood is moving and we’re not moving at a snail’s pace,” Myers said.
The city expects to release renderings of the project at the state of the city address. The city of Greenwood purchased the old middle school for $1 million, and the new middle school is set to open this fall.
It’s one of the many development projects in Greenwood over the past few years.
“[To say it’s been] a busy year is kind of an understatement,” Myers said. “We are at a dead run and things are going great. We have a lot of new businesses coming into the community.”
Major projects include the aquatic center, community center and a $1.5 million investment in revitalizing the downtown area.
While there are a lot of exciting things happening in the city, the mayor says there are also challenges.
“My first concern is always public safety,” he said. “Our police department is half-staffed. For national average we should have 2.2 officers per thousand people. We have one. We’re half staffed.”
Myers said he will be going to the state again this year to try and enact a food and beverage tax to fund public safety. Myers told 24-Hour News 8 that Greenwood’s aging infrastructure is another problem that he will try to address this year.