NEW PALESTINE — Officials with the Town of New Palestine Redevelopment Commission (RDC) gathered in mid-October to discuss ideas on how to spend tax monies for projects in 2025.
From a bridge to cross over U.S. 52 to funds to make a roundabout with a Dragon in the center, many ideas were discussed. The RDC must create and have in place by Dec. 1 an annual spending plan that must outline what the RDC plans to spend money on in 2025.
“It has to be on that form for us to spend the money officially,” RDC vice president Rachel Strong said.
Ethan Maple is an RDC member, as well as a New Palestine Town Council member, and noted during the meeting that it would be good if the RDC listened to community members who might have some thoughts and ideas about how the tax funds should be spent.
Strong reminded the RDC that they’ve used funds in the past to pay for the town’s legal expenses, and if they want to do so again in 2025 the item must be added to a spreadsheet the RDC is working off of currently, which it was not at the time of the meeting.
“What you’ve got is a preliminary working list,” clerk treasurer Yvonne Jonas told the RDC.
President of the New Palestine School Board Laura Haeberle attended the meeting and told the RDC some potential ideas school officials had that would be beneficial to the students or the school community.
She read from a prepared email that suggested having a walking bridge over U.S. 52 to make passage safer for students.
“The town can then decorate the bridge to celebrate the town,” Haeberle said. “We have students who walk to school, and we appreciate the work that has been done to try and make it a safe area to cross, but we think a walking bridge that actually went over the road would be beneficial.”
She also suggested adding a roundabout in front of the school with a Dragon as a centerpiece.
“We think that would be pretty cool, so we thought that might be a fun idea” Haeberle said.
Haeberle also noted the road behind New Palestine Elementary that goes to the Transportation Department is very unsafe due to so much heavy traffic during the weekends when soccer matches are scheduled and suggested it’s a huge safety issue.
Bill Niemier a RDC member and the New Palestine Town Council vice president wondered if there is space to possibly widen the road to make parking and driving safer.
“As it is right now the road is just not safe, it’s not wide enough to accommodate all the traffic that goes through there,” Haeberle said.
Maple wondered if the RDC might be able to give funds to help programs, and Haeberle noted there are many clubs and programs such as robotics, choir, band and others who could always use financial help.
“My main reason for asking questions is to just get your guys to think,” Maple said. “I think the RDC and the town really want to find ways to connect with the schools.”
New Palestine Community Schools superintendent Gina Pleak is on the RDC and said it would be nice to have some funds to expand the career fair which New Palestine High School officials started last year.
“Also, (teacher) Jeremy Large leads a service learning class for students where they share projects and they are always looking for donations,” Pleak said. “They’re all about how to better our community.”
New Palestine Main Street’s Julie Lucas also spoke at the meeting and shared their mission of supporting and maintaining New Palestine.
“We’re about bringing our community together with fun events throughout the year,” Lucas said. “We’d be looking at a total of about between $50,000 and $55,000 if we did a total package with street signs and speed signs.”
She suggested adding vintage street signs throughout New Palestine and doing things that maintain the historic district of the town and thinks they may need between 45 and 50 new signs.
She also suggested creating a pocket park on school grounds.
“We’d also like to do some façade upgrades or do some grants and partnerships with the town and do some beatifications that would go along with our mission,” Lucas said.
Town manager Jim Robinson suggested things like dressing up the roundabout on Gem Road, adding new fencing in places around town where needed, adding flower baskets and solar lighting where needed and other things to beautify the town. He also suggested perhaps pay for a traffic study surrounding the school which could be used by school and town officials to better the traffic patterns.
The RDC officials say they will get the list finalized Wednesday, Nov. 20 before it must be sent to the state in December.
