CLARKSVILLE, Ind. (WDRB) -- All the development happening in Clarksville, particularly near the Ohio River, is designed to lure people to move into the area. And with a panoramic view of the river and downtown Louisville as the main draw, the Town of Clarksville decided to purchase Ashland Park.
The 18-acre property was purchased for $350,000 from Marathon Oil, which leased the park to the town for only $1 per year.
"It's actually really exciting," said Ken Conklin, communications director for the Town of Clarksville. "It's probably one of the greatest purchases we made recently."
Located along the Ohio River, Ashland Park runs from West Market Street and Riverside Drive to the L&I Railroad Bridge. It's a great place to walk the dog or get a workout in. But Conklin said the deal with Marathon restricted the town's vision for the area.
"That really limited us on what we can do to the park, what kind of investments we can make in the park, to really make it nice," he said.
The first step for Clarksville will be to clean up Ashland Park a bit, mainly clearing out trees and trash near the river. Then, crews will replace the playground. And lastly, they'd like to make the park a place for group celebrations.
"We've talked about building piers out over the water, making a destination for weddings," Conklin said. "It's one of the best views of Louisville in southern Indiana."
Just up the road, more apartment buildings are under construction across from Bolt & Tie in downtown Clarksville, allowing more people and business owners to move in.
"South Clarksville is just expanding," Conklin said. "You have the current 812 building that is well underway. We have two more developments that are gonna be built in adjacent lots."
Those developments are expected to break ground at some point this year.
Clarksville had already announced plans to make major renovations to Riverside Drive including lighting, sidewalks and rebuilding the flood wall near Main Street, which is expected to start this spring and cost $7 million.
Ashland Park runs from the intersection of West Market Street and Riverside Drive to the L&I Railroad Bridge.
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