Park and Green Space Projects

In 2022, the City adopted a Parks Park Master Plan. The development of the plan was led by a community committee, and included a public survey and forum that allowed citizens to give feedback on the proposed plans. A majority of the citizens who participated in the survey and forum felt that the condition of existing parks is average to poor, and want to see improvements to existing playgrounds, restrooms, and picnic areas across the City. Highly valued activities cited by survey respondents included walking, going to the playground, picnicking, and swimming. As expected, trails, splashpads, playgrounds, and picnic shelters topped the list of priorities for new improvements.

Based on community feedback, data analysis, and administration priorities, recommendations outlined in the Parks Master Planare designed to enhance our parks and recreation through carefully planned investment that will help strengthen our quality of life for all citizens of Madison.

Community Urban Forestry Grant Project

As a designated Tree City USA by the Arbor Day Foundation, the City of Madison is committed to preserving and expanding our urban forest, which plays a crucial role in enhancing our quality of life and beautifying our community. The City of Madison received a Urban Forest Tree Grant Project for 2025-2026. This project consists of 45 various native trees being planted throughout the city in the following locations, Johnson Lake, Heritage Trail, the Georgetown neighborhood, and West Third Street.

Trees planted in the Johnson Lake area and at the base of Heritage Trail will be created a "showcase forest" to educate the public on the beauty and variety of native trees to our area. Trees installed along west Third Street and in the Georgetown District will increase the tree canopy to mitigate heat island effects and improve the overall quality of life in these areas.

Partners & Funding Source: Indiana Department of Natural Resources

Contractor: River City Nursery

Timeline: Summer of 2025 - Spring of 2026

  • Fall 2025 - Planting of 20 native trees at Johnson Lake,

  • Fall 2025 - Planting of 20 native trees at the base of the Heritage Trail (working in coordination with the Madison-Hanover Connector Trail project that is in progress)

  • Spring 2026- Planting of 15 native trees in the Georgetown neighborhood, 

  • Spring 2026- Planting of 8 native trees along West Third Street.

Madison-Hanover Connector Trail (Phase 1)

Beginning downtown branching off of the Heritage Trail, the trail will cross Crooked Creek and progress westward to Clifty Falls State Park.

This is a part of our 5-Year Parks Master Plan. This project will tie our downtown into the south entrance of Clifty Falls, allowing bicyclists, walkers and hikers to travel between the areas freely. This project also partners with the regional development authority's goal to have a world-class trails system in the 5-county region.

Partners: Indiana Department of Natural Resources, Madison Heritage Trail Conservancy, City of Madison, Southern Indiana Regional Development Authority, Jefferson County Commissioners, Clifty Falls State Park, Hanover College, the Community Foundation of Madison and Jefferson County, and Madison Railroad and Port Authority. 

Developer/Contractor/Designer: Jacobi, Toombs and Lanz/Prime AE and Temple and Temple Excavating and Paving

Timeline: Summer of 2025 - Spring of 2026

Funding Sources: The Southern Indiana Regional Development Authority, READI grant match through the Indiana Economic Development Corporation, Indiana Department of Natural Resources Next Level Trails grant.

Damon L. Welch Park Renovation Project

Welch Park Site Plan-Subject to change

Site plan subject to change. 

Damon L. Welch Park, formerly Jaycee Park, at 619 E. Vaughn Dr., is located on two acres along Vaughn Drive under the pillars of the Madison-Milton Bridge. In 2022, based on community feedback, the City identified Welch Park as a neighborhood park in need of investment and upgrades. View the Parks Master Plan here.

The project plans include a complete renovation of the park and will include improved parking, construction of an additional shelter house, a new basketball court, a new restroom building, and updated playground equipment*, a new stone wall and signage to honor Mayor Welch, improved sand volleyball courts, and new pickleball courts.

Estimated Project Cost: $2,050,000

Partners and Funding Sources: Bethany Legacy Foundation, Community Foundation Madison Jefferson County, GameTime, Fairfield Inn & Suites Madison Historic Eagle Cotton Mill, City of Madison Redevelopment Commission, and private donations.

Developer/Contractor/Designer: Jacobi, Toombs and Lanz/Prime AE

Timeline: Estimated to begin Q2 of 2026

* PlayCore’s Scholar Network unites experts to promote health and wellness through evidence-based play and recreation. Its PlayOn! program encourages children’s fitness by focusing on six core elements of play—spinning, sliding, swinging, climbing, brachiating, and balancing. The new playground at Welch Park is the first in the city intentionally designed to showcase this model and earn these designations.

John Paul Park Project

John Paul Park has a rich legacy that dates back to 1823 when city founder John Paul donated the land for use as a cemetery. By the early 1900s, the area had fallen into disrepair and was transformed into a public park by the John Paul Chapter of the Daughters of the American Revolution (DAR).

Officially dedicated in 1904, the park evolved through tree donations, land expansions, and community improvements, including a ball field and tool house. For decades, the DAR maintained the park, but city oversight began in the mid-1980s.

In recent years, efforts to revitalize the park have resumed, building on earlier work led by the late Jill Keller and the now-dissolved John Paul Park Conservancy. A new working group—comprising the DAR, city officials, and community partners—has updated the original master plan to include walking paths, ADA access, improved recreational facilities, and historical signage, all while honoring the park’s origins. 

Learn more about the project plans here!