Town of Georgetown progresses with downtown improvements
Aug. 24—GEORGETOWN — The Town of Georgetown is continuing with improvements to its downtown corridor.
Chris Loop, president of the Georgetown Town Council, said the town is making significant progress with its downtown redevelopment plan as the area is made more accessible for residents, whether they are walking or driving through town.
This summer, the town completed a project that increased parking in downtown. This includes the reconfiguration of the Georgetown Town Hall parking lot and parking near the historic Georgetown State Bank building at 9100 Indiana 64, which is under renovation for a new business called The Georgetown Butcher.
A pedestrian crossing was also installed at the former bank building, and the parking lot features landscaping and solar lighting.
The town is close to finishing its second phase of the downtown sidewalk project, which is expanding sidewalks along Indiana 64 from Fuzzy Way to Canal Lane on the south side and from Frederick Way to Canal Lane on the north.
"It's substantially complete at this point, and they're pouring the final sidewalks right now on the north side of 64," Loop said.
The town is also seeking to install electrical vehicle charging stations, but Loop notes that specific plans have not been set as the town considers options and the pricing of the project.
"By doing the parking lot, we've created a place for people to visit downtown merchants, and we know that electrical vehicles are coming, so if we can be at the forefront of that and providing charging stations, that will just be another amenity people can appreciate when they think of Georgetown," Loop said.
Another phase of the plan will include the installation of a sidewalk to connect with the Georgetown Park. The pathway would cross under the railroad trestle to Lois Lane and cross over the railroad tracks at Wissman Road. However, the town will need to receive permission from the railroad before progressing with the project, Loop said.
Other downtown Georgetown investments have included enhancements to the park, including last year's addition of new basketball courts. The town is continuing improvements by adding LED lighting to the park, and there are plans to purchase neighboring property that would add another two acres to the park.
Loop said it is fulfilling to see community members enjoying the new amenities, and he sees people playing at the park's basketball courts on a daily basis.
The Georgetown area is facing plenty of growth, particularly with the building of the Novaparke Innovation & Technology Campus along Indiana 64 in Edwardsville.
The longterm plan is to connect downtown Georgetown with the eastern section, Loop said, but the town is taking the revitalization one piece at a time. He wants to see the Indiana 64 corridor become "walkable and bikable."
"We want to connect existing pieces of downtown that haven't been walkable, and long-term, we want to connect old Georgetown to new Georgetown, he said. "If we think 10 years out from now, what I would like to see happen is that we would have sidewalks basically going from Georgetown Christian Church (in downtown) down to the Copperfield subdivision to the east."
