INDIANAPOLIS, IN — Mayor Joe Hogsett recently joined the Indianapolis Department of Public Works (Indy DPW), Department of Metropolitan Development (DMD), and officials from the Benjamin Harrison Presidential Site for a ribbon cutting ceremony highlighting the completion of recent improvements on Talbott Street in the city's Old Northside neighborhood.

"Today we are here to celebrate the completion and enhancement of Talbott Street outside of the Benjamin Harrison Presidential Site, one of Indianapolis' richest sources of history," Hogsett said. "Thanks to programs like the Indianapolis Neighborhood Partnership, the Department of Public Works is able to partner with the community to complete meaningful projects like the one we are celebrating today."

Part of the Presidential Site's South Lawn enhancement, the Talbott Street improvements are one of 10 projects that received funding assistance from Indy DPW through the 2019 Indianapolis Neighborhood Infrastructure Partnership program. With funding matched by the Arthur Jordan Foundation and support from DMD, the Benjamin Harrison Presidential Site was able to make improvements to the intersection of Talbott Street and 12th Street, creating the Presidential Commons and Advancing American Democracy Plaza.

“This important neighborhood infrastructure partnership with the city of Indianapolis, more than two years in the making, will help lay the groundwork for significant additional improvements to the Presidential Site as a vital community center, national historic landmark, education resource for more than 17,000 students each year, and one of TripAdvisor’s top 5 'Things to do in Indianapolis'," said Charles Hyde, President & CEO of the Benjamin Harrison Presidential Site. "We are grateful to the City of Indianapolis and the Arthur Jordan Foundation for their continued investment and support of the Benjamin Harrison Presidential Site‘s vision to become one of the most innovative, impactful, and civically-engaged presidential sites in the country."

The Presidential Site is engaged in planning that includes the expansion and improvement of Talbott Street to better support buses and emergency vehicles, removal of the existing chain-link fence, and installation of an adjacent landscaped multi-use path and gateway to help reconnect the Old Northside neighborhood.

In December 2017, Hogsett announced that DPW would accept proposals from community-based organizations for infrastructure projects under a matching fund pilot program. Funds are available for new projects, including roads, sidewalks, multi-use paths, and bridges.

Through the Indy Neighborhood Infrastructure Partnership, transportation dollars can be stretched further while increasing connectivity and accessibility throughout the city.