One of Greenwood City Council’s newest and youngest members had a fresh idea he thought might help council members get to know residents in their districts a little better—town hall meetings.
It’s not the first time it’s been done, but it’s the first time it’s been done in awhile.
The city council hosted its second round of public town hall-style meetings Monday and Tuesday night for District 2, which covers the southeast side of Greenwood. The idea came from Brad Pendleton, who recently started his first term as an at-large council member.
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Pendleton wanted to do these meetings to get to know the people in the city, especially since voter turnout tends to be low in local elections, he said.
“There was not a lot of feedback as far as who people support,” Pendleton said. “This is one of the few ways we can get out and can really hear it, and people can hear from us.”
Town hall-style meetings are meant to be open forums for the public to ask elected officials any questions.
The council held town halls about eight years ago, said Mike Campbell, council president. But those meetings were city-wide, and the same people attended every time, he said.
“Brad’s new and he came up with the idea of doing them in districts, which I think is a very good idea,” Campbell said.
The first town hall meeting Pendleton organized wasn’t very successful, he said. The February meeting was for District 5, represented by J. David Hopper, and one person showed up.
The second town hall Monday at Grassy Creek Elementary School drew a much larger crowd. District 2, represented by Ezra Hill, is a hotbed district that covers areas such as the southside of downtown and the Worthsville Road interchange.
Hill and Pendleton hosted the meeting. Hopper and Campbell sat in the audience, but also answered questions.
During the hour-long meeting, people asked a variety of questions about topics ranging from development to the IndyGo Red Line bus system.
Greenwood resident Randy Goodin asked what the council members had planned for the future of Old Town Greenwood, at Main Street and Madison Avenue, and asked why the area wasn’t as developed as downtown Franklin.
“Downtown Greenwood has been a struggle for a long time,” Hill said. “But for the most part, it’s been coming along pretty well.”
Pendleton said he hopes the new sports complex planned at the former Greenwood Middle School property on Madison Avenue will attract more businesses to the downtown area.
“Ezra and I would love to see Old Town really grow and be like what we see down in Franklin,” Pendleton said.
Hill and Pendleton teased some projects the public should watch for, including the 40-acre park that’s planned near Worthsville Road and Interstate 65. Plans include an outdoor sports complex with several ball diamonds, a playing field, splash pad and all-inclusive playground.
“There’s been a desire for a park on this side of town for quite some time, and I think that really fills that need,” Pendleton said.
Greenwood resident Nancy Phelps asked about public transportation in the city, and why the IndyGo Red Line buses don’t venture into Johnson County. IndyGo buses used to make stops downtown and near the mall, but that service ended when Indianapolis’s Red Line opened in 2019.
Pendelton said he was personally hesitant about extending the Red Line to the city due to the construction and costs associated with putting in stations and rebuilding infrastructure for the bus routes.
“With all the work that we’re doing to improve the area, the last thing we want to do is tear up a road that detracts from businesses,” Pendleton said.
“It (the Red Line) coming into Johnson County is years down the road, even in their (IndyGo) plans,” Campbell said. “That’s the hesitation in passing a tax now, because we wouldn’t see the benefit from it for a long time.”
In order to get the Red Line to venture into Greenwood, Pleasant Township officials would have to pass a tax referendum, which they have not shown an interest in doing.
The council had plans to host town hall meetings for every district in the coming weeks. The next town hall was scheduled today for District 1, represented by Linda Gibson, at The Social at 550 Polk St. in Greenwood, but has since been canceled due to growing concerns about the spread of COVID-19, more commonly known as the coronavirus.
Overall, council members learned a lot hearing directly from residents, they said.
“Getting some specific issues that you can take and try to get answers to is a big deal,” Hill said. “Because sometimes as a resident, you don’t always know where to get answers.”
