Business View Civil Municipal June 2023

76 CIVIL AND MUNICIPAL VOLUME 4, ISSUE 6 that is an overlooked asset of this community. I lived in Indianapolis, but it could be five miles to the local park, if you I lived downtown. Here, it is probably five blocks to your closest park.” A 50,000-square-foot indoor sports complex is also in the planning stages and is expected to boost economic development and tourism in the city. “The current feasibility study for that complex is estimated to bring $9 million annually in revenue to the Madison County area. Bringing an influx of people to Elwood on the weekends is not only going to help our mom- and-pop businesses and our uptown business district, but it’s also going to be a demand driver for future development, whether it be retail, residential, or restaurants,” says the mayor. As with many smaller communities, uptown Elwood has seen a decline over the last several decades, as easier access and big-box establishments were brought into the city. Farrer maintains that there is now an effort to revitalize