By Darian Benson for Mirror Indy.
Broadcast version by Joe Ulery for Indiana News Service reporting for the Mirror Indy-Free Press Indiana-Public News Service Collaboration.

Elizabeth Castle drives past what was the Indiana Women's Prison almost daily. She lives a block away in the Willard Park neighborhood on the near east side.

"I have heard of teenagers shooting guns and hiding in the old prison building according to neighborhood emails and have seen people wandering around the remains of buildings," Castle said.

Neighbors say the long-vacant Indiana Women's Prison site is in terrible shape, and they hope the city can assist them in redeveloping the property.

"The site is just sitting there, gradually deteriorating," said Will Pritchard, a member of the Indiana Women's Prison Alliance, a group advocating for redevelopment.

"Sometimes the windows are open. Sometimes there's holes in the roofs. It's often not mowed. It's collecting trash around the site."

The Indiana Department of Administration, the agency that maintains and manages all state property, owns the property, which has been vacant for seven years. The Women's Prison was relocated to the west side in 2009, and the eastside property became a reentry facility for the Marion County criminal justice system until closing in 2017.

The Indiana Department of Administration's website states the grounds are mowed by maintenance crews every three to four weeks, weather permitting.

Neighbors think city is better positioned to manage property

The alliance and several surrounding neighborhood organizations are calling for the state to transfer ownership of the property to the city, believing the city is better positioned to plan the property's future.

Pritchard believes, after speaking with city officials, that Indianapolis is open to receiving the site from the state. He said the city has more experience working with neighborhoods and has plans for eastside redevelopment. He has heard the state might also be interested in transferring ownership to the city in exchange for an unidentified property currently owned by the city.

The Indianapolis Department of Metropolitan Development declined to comment.

"It's probably the biggest, dilapidated vacant site on the east side, and it is owned by the state of Indiana, which is really outrageous when you think about it that a site with that reputation is actually owned by the state government," Pritchard said.

The future of the site is unclear. Molly Timperman, a spokesperson for the Department of Administration, said the state isn't ready to make a decision on what to do with the site. When it is, "we are happy to have a community conversation," she said.

Pritchard lives in Woodruff Place, one of three neighborhoods surrounding the former women's prison. The alliance has asked the three neighborhoods - Willard Park, Woodruff Place and St. Clair Place - to write letters in support of the property transfer. The alliance has also requested a meeting with the Department of Administration and the mayor's office.

He hopes to come to a resolution before Gov. Eric Holcomb leaves office, worrying that the clock will restart under a new state administration. Neighborhood leaders and the state haven't always seen eye to eye.

The state has demolished most of the buildings at the former prison except for a few, including the chapel, administration building and a few dormitories. The state had set aside money to tear down the remaining buildings, but the neighborhoods blocked the demolition.

Pritchard said the state needed the neighborhoods' approval to demolish the remaining buildings because they are classified as historic. The neighborhoods aren't ready to give that approval until they know more about plans for redevelopment or reuse.

"We don't want to give our approval to tear down the buildings, because we don't trust that the DOA will build something on the site that's conducive to the surrounding neighborhoods" Pritchard said. "And we're not convinced that they will include the neighborhoods' input, either."

Regardless, Timperman said the money that had been set aside to demolish the remaining buildings was used for other state projects and is no longer available.

What the neighborhood wants

A few years ago the alliance conducted a survey asking residents what they would like to see replace the abandoned site. Requests ranged from houses, to a workforce development training center to a grocery store.

"They have not said to the state or to the mayor's office, 'Here's what we want to see there,' because there's such a diversity of views," Pritchard said. "Their primary request is, their only request is to involve us in the decision."

Castle says the space has a lot of potential. She envisions mixed-use space for housing, entertainment and exercise.

"My greatest concern for the property staying vacant is at best a missed opportunity for the near east side," Castle said. "And at worst, an eyesore for all the neighbors around and potentially an enabler for criminal activity."


Darian Benson wrote this article for Mirror Indy.


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The Department of the Interior recently announced the largest single investment in local parks in the communities across the country and two Maryland cities will benefit from it.

Frederick, Maryland, received a $1 million grant from the Outdoor Recreation Legacy Partnership Program for its Hill Street Park. The park is currently undergoing a renovation.

Bob Smith, deputy director of parks and recreation for the City of Frederick, said the skate park, which was built in 2004, will be the main beneficiary of the federal grant.

"It is entirely concrete," Smith pointed out. "In the mid-Atlantic region, we know concrete doesn't fare very well during the winter sometimes, with the freeze and thaw. The park is in disrepair. It does need a major renovation."

The grant will fund more than 50 projects across 24 states with more than $250 million, the single largest investment ever from the program. The city of Baltimore also received a nearly $1.4 million grant for the Baltimore Greenway Trail Network.

The grant is part of the Biden administration's America the Beautiful Initiative, a locally led effort to address climate issues, improve access to the outdoors and strengthen the economy. Smith hopes to have the design of the park renovations finalized by the middle of 2025. Other parts of the park include a basketball court, two multipurpose fields, two in-line rinks, a playground, pavilion and walking paths.

Smith emphasized it will be a major part of the community, once all parts of the park are finished.

"Certainly hope that the community will be able to enjoy the upgraded amenities," Smith added. "It will be a heavily used community park, neighborhood park. The revitalized park, once completed in its entirety, will be a gem for the community there."

In December, the Biden administration announced another grant opportunity totaling an estimated $450 million over the next five years.


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Many towns and nonprofit groups probably have ideas about how to improve their communities and now, there is a chance to get funding for projects.

The AARP Community Challenge grant program looks for quick-action projects to make neighborhoods more livable, especially for people age 50 and over. Now in its ninth year, the grant program encourages thinking about ways to better livability by improving public spaces, transportation, housing or digital literacy, to name a few.

Todd Stubbendieck, state director of AARP Nebraska, said they have seen requests for projects in excess of $20,000 but also for as little as a few hundred.

"It's oftentimes less about the money than sort of the impact of the project," Stubbendieck explained. "Sometimes a couple hundred dollars can be a high, high-impact project for a particular community."

The application period has just started for this year's grants, and is open until March 5. Grant winners will have until mid-December to finish their projects.

While the grants often help people over 50 in small or rural communities, Stubbendieck pointed out they have also made a big impact in Nebraska's urban areas, in ways that might not be obvious when thinking about community service grants.

"We funded a project with the City of Omaha that did two traffic-calming safety pedestrian projects at places where there had been pedestrian accidents in the past," Stubbendieck noted.

Other past grants have funded a digital literacy project to help seniors in Lincoln learn basic digital skills and a project in the town of Holdrege, population 5,500, to transform an abandoned lot into a vibrant public gathering place.

The Department of Veterans Affairs has expanded GI Bill benefits, removing the 36-month cap for veterans with multiple periods of service. This change is expected to impact more than a million veterans, offering greater access to education and job training. Ohio is home to programs that aim to empower veterans, providing them with the tools to succeed after their service. One such initiative, DAV Patriot Bootcamp, has been making a profound impact.

Dan Clare is AV Patriot Bootcamp chief communications and outreach officer.

"Ohioans need to know about DAV Patriot Bootcamp. It's an entrepreneur program... trying to give them the building blocks to make success accessible to them after they've served and sacrificed for their country," he said.

The Ohio-founded DAV Patriot Bootcamp provides mentorship and resources to help veterans and their spouses start businesses. While the program has been praised for its impact, critics argue that initiatives like this only address a narrow aspect of veterans' reintegration, leaving broader challenges like affordable health care and housing unmet.

John Matecki, owner of the Whiskerman company, is a veteran who benefited from the bootcamp and said it shaped his entrepreneurial path.

"Since going through, it's a three-day, drinking-from-a-fire-hose-type entrepreneur course... I've landed an amazing mentor who helped get us copyright (and) trademark of our logo and name," he said.

While programs like DAV Patriot Bootcamp foster business success and economic contributions, veterans and advocates emphasize the need for comprehensive solutions to reintegration challenges. With upcoming bootcamp cohorts in February and May, Ohio veterans have new opportunities to engage, but questions remain about addressing the broader needs of those who served.


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