$5 million of bond to fund upgrades at Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Park
INDIANAPOLIS (WISH) — A total of $5 million from a city government bond will fund improvements to Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Park, officials say.
Officials from Indianapolis on Monday gathered to promote the project that will include a celebration and event plaza, an eternal flame artwork with interpretative panels, a new pavilion area along the walkways, expanded parking, a connection to the new pedestrian pathway along North Park Avenue, and new walkways and seating areas.
The park, a part of the Near Northside neighborhood, is at 1702 Broadway St. The City-County Council proposal for the bond was approved in September. The entire $25 million bond will also pay for fire station improvements. The bond will be repaid in no more than 20 years with an interest rate of no more than 7%. Property taxes would be used to pay off the bond.
Officials at a news conference Monday included Mayor Joe Hogsett and state Rep. Greg Porter, both Democrats. Others at the event were Tracy Ellis-Ward with Pacers Sports and Entertainment, and Whitney Childress of the Friends of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Park.
In April, Indianapolis leaders had announced a campaign to raise $5 million for upgrades to the park, saying the city government would contribute $1 million to the campaign.
The park is known as the site of U.S. Sen. Robert F. Kennedy’s historic 1968 speech in Indianapolis after King was assassinated April 4, 1968, in Memphis, Tennessee. Kennedy delivered the tragic news to people in a speech at what later became the park.
Phyllis Boyd, director of Indy Parks, said in a statement issued Monday that the city government bond will “completely reshape areas of the park and will give neighbors and visitors more space to gather, reflect, and of course play.”
Duke Oliver, a Democrat on the City-County Council, said in the same statement, “When you come to this park, you know you are in a beloved, sacred space. The legacies of Dr. King and Sen. Kennedy live on in each of us and live through the work, park programs, and investments going on in this cherished park.”
