City and County discuss Carrollton Square Project

By Editor | May 28, 2025 |

By Carmen Ensinger

The Greene County Board convened a special meeting on Thursday, May 22 with three items on the agenda, one being discussion of Carrollton Square Revitalization Project which hinges on a more than $2 million grant that the city applied for and received.
Members of the Carrollton City Council were invited to attend after they held a similar meeting the week before to discuss some of the major issues with the current plan.
Unfortunately, there has been misinformation circulating around the coffee shop that is saying that this is the county’s project.
County Board Chairman Earlene Castleberry said that is most definitely not the case.
“We have sat in on the meetings with the engineer, but this is in no way ‘our project,’” she said. “This project belongs to the city of Carrollton. Why the architect firm presented it to us first is still unknown, but this is not the County’s project.”
The ultimate project was different from the plan first proposed when applying for the grant. More specifically, the original plan didn’t have the curbs moved in 10 feet from where they are now.
Apparently, IDOT wouldn’t accept the original plan and the first plan drawn up by the architect would make the city lose around 30 parking spaces.
The plan presented by Oates and Associates to the County Board at their May meeting included moving the curbs in 10 feet, taking away green space on the two sides covered in the grant.
This 10 foot inward move, plus the original eight foot sidewalk would basically cut 18 feet into the Veteran’s Memorial, which was unacceptable.
Carrollton Mayor Mike Snyder and several aldermen attended this special County Board meeting with Snyder updating the Board.
“We were supposed to have some more information for you from the engineer but that didn’t happen,” Snyder said. “It has been a mess with IDOT and trying to get that through, but I expect to have more information for you by the first of next week.”
Castleberry asked Snyder if the council liked the plan that was presented to them.
“It is not like the first plan we had submitted,” Snyder said. “I’m not in love with it, but we have to live with whatever IDOT said. With the plan they have now, if we can get all the kinks ironed out, I can go with it.”
Carrollton Alderwoman Bernie Faul was adamant about one thing.
“They are not cutting into our Veteran’s Memorial,” she said.
Snyder said that the architects are working on including what everyone requested.
County Board Member Charlie Helton said he had been getting quite a bit of feedback on the project.
“That is the one thing I got feedback on,” Helton said. “People are very upset that it might change their memorial.”
Debbie Banghart thought the plan first presented left a lot to be desired.
“I like green space and I thought that plan looked awful,” she said. “I want my green space.”
Helton agreed.
“For the amount of money being spent, I’d like to see new sod all around the grounds,” he said. “Have it looking like a golf course – I’m all for that.”
The original plan presented to the board had three sidewalks leading from the corner’s of the courthouse grounds leading up to the courthouse. At the Carrollton meeting, discussion was held to remove those sidewalks to allow more green space to remain.
“I’m all for doing away with the spokes down the middle,” County Board Member Josh Lawson said. “Maybe redo the concrete we have now, but not add in that stuff and keep our green space and maybe make it look nicer.”
The subject was tabled until the June regular meeting of the County Board.