State of the City: Lawrenceburg Has a Bright Future

Friday, February 16, 2024 at 2:27 PM

VIDEO: Hear Mayor Kelly Mollaun's State of the City address here.

Lawrenceburg Mayor Kelly Mollaun delivered his State of the City address this afternoon. Video by Justis White.

(Lawrenceburg, Ind.) - Mayor Kelly Mollaun delivered his State of the City address on Friday afternoon.

Mollaun spoke for about 20 minutes, recapping the year of 2023 and sharing his vision for the year of 2024 and beyond. He also answered questions from the Lawrenceburg Event Center audience.

Highlights from the Mayor's speech included some exciting developments in downtown Lawrenceburg.

"I have a vision for Lawrenceburg, but without the cooperation and hard work of our staff, the entire city employee population, and our elected officials, all the improvements and progress in Lawrenceburg would not take place," said Mollaun.

Perhaps the most exciting new development is improvements on the riverfront. In December, Eagle County 99.3 broke a story on the Lawrenceburg Riverwalk, which is expected to transform the downtown area.

Plans call for two new barges that will include two restaurants with casual dining and spaces for strolling, gathering and events. New bridges will provide access to the floating park, which will include docking for personal boats and larger vessels, such as dinner cruises. The Lawrenceburg Riverwalk will also include improvements to the walking trail on the levee.

According to Mayor Mollaun, construction on the levee area is slated to start later this year, with dock work taking place in 2025. He added that the city is currently in the permitting phase.

Lawrenceburg Riverwalk rendering via the City of Lawrenceburg.

Another big addition to downtown Lawrenceburg will be the Civic Park Pavilion.

A property at the intersection of William and Short streets was demolished last May to make room for the new, open air structure that will be the new home of the Winter Wonderland Ice Skating Rink and Farmers Market, among other events.

Construction is planned for Quarter Three of this year, with completion slated for 2025. See a rendering below.

Civic Park Pavilion. Photo by Travis Thayer, Eagle Country 99.3.

The historic Liberty Theater is expected to reopen its doors in August of 2024.

Dan McCabe’s Thigmotrope LLC, in partnership with the City of Lawrenceburg Redevelopment Commission, has broken ground on renovating the theater. The $4.75 million-dollar project is funded through a public-private economic development partnership between the two entities.

Plans for the renovations include two autonomous storefront businesses: Stage Left Whiskey Bar and the Stage Right Kitchen. “This is a versatile room that can flip daily from live performance, to wedding receptions, to culinary events, to exhibitions, film, comedy and more. This is a lasting endeavor putting to work a dormant historic asset attracting new people and businesses to historic downtown Lawrenceburg for generations to come.” – Dan McCabe - Thigmotrope LLC, founder of Whiskey City’s Liberty Theater.

Mayor Mollaun touted the opening of the Downtown Outdoor Refreshment Area (DORA), interior renovations at the Lawrenceburg Community Center, new murals, and new crosswalks as quality of life projects that were completed in 2023.

The Lawrenceburg Community Center will see further improvements to its facade and entrance in 2024, including ADA compliant upgrades. Ludlow Hill residents will see new signage soon and a walking trail at Ludlow Hill Park from Bellaire Drive. In addition, the City will be resurfacing the tennis courts at the park and converting one of the courts into two pickleball courts.

Mayor Mollaun added that all the above projects will be completed with no impact to taxpayers.

Other topics included the need for affordable senior housing, economic development, and education.

"I hope you can tell how excited I am about being a part of the progress and our vision of creating a premier river city destination for people to visit, a safe clean place to live, and a great place to raise a family and call home. Quite simply folks, the City of Lawrenceburg has a bright future," said Mollaun.