Sidewalks, Safety, and Momentum: Georgetown’s Path Forward Takes Shape

On a cold Monday morning – after weeks of frigid temperatures and precipitation delays – concrete finally began to pour along State Road 64 in Georgetown.

It may look like 120 feet of fresh sidewalk at a time. But in reality, it represents something much larger: connection.

In 2024, the Town of Georgetown was awarded a $150,000 Quality of Place: Pathways to Progress grant from the Community Foundation of Southern Indiana to expand its sidewalk project along State Road 64. When complete, the half-mile addition will stretch from the Georgetown Drive-In to Canal Lane, transforming one of the town’s busiest corridors into a safer, more accessible route for residents and visitors alike.

This new sidewalk will serve walkers, runners, families with strollers, youth athletes, older adults, and individuals with mobility challenges. It will provide a safe and direct connection to Optimist Park’s youth sports fields – and link more than a dozen local businesses, Georgetown Elementary School, Town Hall, the farmers market, and several churches along the way.

For many residents, this isn’t just convenience. It’s access.

“After all of the snow and cold weather, the construction crew finally had an opportunity to start on this project on Monday of this week,” said Reny Keener, Town Manager for Georgetown. “They’re starting out in front of the Family Dollar and heading east toward the Georgetown Drive-In. Next week, they’ll begin work on a retaining wall near the post office. We’ve been dodging rain and cold weather, but I hope to have this project done in the next couple of months.”

As part of the work, crews are also correcting storm drainage at the entrance to the Drive-In – an important infrastructure fix that ensures the longevity and safety of the new pathway.

And the momentum doesn’t stop there.

Keener shared that, thanks in part to the Community Foundation’s investment, the town is close to securing additional funding to extend the sidewalk beyond the Drive-In toward the gas station on Henriott Road. Like many Quality of Place grants, this project has helped leverage additional dollars – multiplying the impact of the original investment and accelerating long-term change.

Georgetown’s sidewalk project marked the fifth Quality of Place award made through the Community Foundation’s Pathways to Progress Grants Program, with previous projects located in Jeffersonville, New Albany, Charlestown, and most recently, Borden.

The program is intentionally focused on communities and residents with the least access to safe, high-quality public places and amenities – including individuals with limited income, transportation challenges, or physical and/or mental differences.

Sidewalks may seem simple. But for many, they mean independence. Safety. Opportunity. At its core, this work is about building pathways – not just in concrete, but in possibility.