Rushville – Plans to completely revitalize downtown Rushville are moving along. This week the city council agreed to hire Massie Massie and Associates to develop a concept plan for inside Central Park.
Mayor Scott Thompson says such planning probably shouldn't be done internally, because Massie Massie and Associates brings a level of experience the city can't match.
"There's a lot of small detail that go into getting this all tied together," says Thompson. "There's electrical that has to be considered, there's existing infrastructure that has to be considered."
Thompson says once finished, the park will sport new interior sidewalks, new decorative lighting and decorative planters among other things. It's just one portion of the complete downtown renovation project, which is expected to cost a little more than $2.3 million.
Roughly $1.7 million will be funded through state and federal grant programs, and the rest will be funded through motor fuel tax and TIF district funds.
Once finished, Thompson says downtown Rushville will have new sidewalks, brick driving lanes, concrete parking lanes, and all city property will be completely ADA accessible. He hopes to put the project out for bid no later than March.
To listen to a conversation with Mayor Thompson about the project, click play on the audio link above.