LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WDRB) — Jeffersonville Mayor Mike Moore celebrated the accomplishments of the city Tuesday and looked to the future in his State of the City address.
Moore gave his “Building the Foundation for Our Next Generation” speech at a luncheon hosted by the Clark County Rotary Club. He touted the more than $80 million in new investments made in the city in 2022 and also said “Money Magazine” named the city one of the top 50 best places to live, citing a “successful revitalization of downtown and the riverfront as major reasons people want to put down roots in Jeff.”
“Our work and vision is transforming Jeffersonville into a city that others admire and want to emulate,” Moore said. “One where families want to live and raise their kids. One where businesses want to invest, and one where people want to call home.”
The mayor said the city’s housing market “continues to be strong” with the approval of more than 300 new single-family homes and the completion of Lakeside Gardens in 2022. He also touted the 56 new businesses approved in 2022, including the Drake’s being built along Veterans Parkway.
This year, Moore said he will be working on a plan to make Utica Pike more walkable. There are also plans in the works to add 16 new lighted pickleball courts at Lotte Oglesby Park off Ewing Lane, as well as a covered picnic pavilion, new restrooms and a walking trail.
Other plans include adding lawn space between 9th Street, Indiana Avenue and Ohio Avenue to connect the arts and cultural district — also known as NoCo — just north of Court Avenue, with the Gateway at 10th and Spring streets. The 2-acre open space will be called Falls Landing and feature covered pavilions, a center pathway to host fairs and vendors, sculpture gardens and pedestrian pathways.
A master plan is also now in the works for the former site of Jeffboat along the Ohio River. Moore also said the city is “on schedule” to start construction next year on the nearly $19 million Charlestown Pike Enhancement Project.
The city ended 2022 with $11.8 million “in cash on hand” with another $4.4 million in the city’s rainy day fund. Moore said those reserves helped the city “maneuver the last couple years without ever once compromising city services.”
Moore also touted the city’s safety, applauding the police department’s “21st-century policing models.” He said a $750,000 project will create a new operations center at police headquarters. It’s expected to be finished “later this summer” to provide the department with a “secondary dispatch center in the event of an emergency and have planning space for large-scale operations and collaboration with other public safety entities.”
The city will also break ground this year on a new Safety Town at the Jeffersonville Fire Department headquarters on 10th Street.
Copyright 2023 WDRB Media. All Rights Reserved.