NEW ALBANY — Mayor Jeff Gahan touted Silver Street Park as a successful redevelopment of a formally blighted industrial site this week as he officially introduced the new facility to the community.
A grand opening ceremony was held Monday at the park, which is located at 2043 Silver St. It offers several indoor and outdoor recreational amenities including an indoor recreational center, an outdoor football and soccer field, and a quarter mile walking track.
“All you have to do is look at before and after pictures of the site to realize that this will be of great benefit to the citizens of New Albany and the surrounding neighborhoods,” Gahan said.
Dubbed the SportsPlex by the city, the indoor recreation center is the centerpiece of the park, and it includes a 50-by-50 yard turf field. New Albany Little League has already utilized the facility, and officials believe other youth leagues and recreational programs will take advantage of the space.
“There may be certain restrictions on what can and can’t be done, but you can do almost any field sport inside as well as most any physical activity,” said New Albany Parks Director Alicia Meredith.
“We’ll program it with leagues, activities, camps and different things, as well different opportunities for the public. But it’s also open for them to come in and rent for their own personal practices.”
Outside the SportsPlex, a field that can be used for soccer or football is flanked with bleachers, lights and a pressbox.
Hopefully the field can help revive New Albany Youth Football and host other outdoor activities as well, Meredith said.
“It could also help us potentially introduce a new sport like lacrosse or something else in the future,” she said.
There’s also two basketball courts, a skate park and a splash pad in the outdoors portion of the park, as well as a walking path, shelter houses and a pavilion.
The site was once used for industrial purposes by Hoosier Panel, and most recently, CCE, Inc, before the city purchased the land for redevelopment.
The park was constructed through a $19.6 million bond the city took on to also upgrade Binford Park and build the outdoor aquatic center that’s slated to open this summer.
“Something like this, with this many amenities and this many opportunities is not offered in this area,” Meredith said.