Published: August 12, 2009 02:08 pm      

Parking garage in downtown New Albany to receive facelift

Work could begin after Harvest Homecoming

The downtown parking garage at the corner of State and Market streets will soon be getting a facelift.

The New Albany Redevelopment Commission approved a plan Tuesday to move forward with the upgrade. The Estopinal Group, an architectural firm located in Jeffersonville who designed the garage in the 1990s, will be paid $26,400 to begin designing plans for the renovations.

New Albany Mayor Doug England had already signed a service contract with Estopinal prior to the redevelopment commission’s vote.

That didn’t go unnoticed by some board members. However, the group eventually unanimously approved the plan.

The cost for the general maintenance and to build canopies over the stairwells will be around $330,000. There is currently $108,000 in the operating budget for the garage. The funds for the upgrades will likely come from bonds.

“Quite a few things need to be done so that the garage can be put back into excellent condition,” said Carl Malysz, deputy mayor and director of community development. “If we don’t do anything, it will one day look like the Pearl Street garage that was neglected for years and crumbled away.”

The commission also recently approved a plan to put security cameras in the garage. Those cameras have not yet been placed, according to Malysz.

Malysz said he would like to start taking bids soon so work could begin after Harvest Homecoming.



IN OTHER BUSINESS

• The New Albany Redevelopment Commission also approved a plan Tuesday to demolish a vacant home at 1112 Charles St.

• John Rosenbarger, director of public facilities projects, hopes to have bids in place for phases three and four of the Daisy Lane project by winter so work can begin in the spring. Phase three deals with widening and placing sidewalks along the hill section, and phase four will reconstruct the intersection of Daisy Lane and Grant Line Road.

• Malysz said he is still hopeful New Albany will receive up to $7 million of $30 million in state funds available to help reconstruct sidewalks in the S. Ellen Jones neighborhood. He hopes to have an answer in October, he said.