The New Town section of Elizabethtown will benefit from two grants recently awarded to the Town with the development of a new community center and improvements to streetscape along part of Martin Luther King (MLK) Drive. 

The Town of Elizabethtown, in conjunction with engineering consultant Paul Mattox, Libby Smith and E.L. Robinson Engineering, applied for and was awarded $2,575,000 to design and construct an 11,000 sq ft Community Center on Martin Luther King Drive.

At their August meeting, the Elizabethtown Town Council awarded the contract for the Community Center’s construction to DeVane Builders of Elizabethtown. Construction is set to begin soon. 

The design of the building has been shaped by feedback from focus groups that included youth, residents, business owners and clergy connected to the New Town area. The facility is designed to meet the needs of the residents with a new playground, indoor event space, multipurpose full-size playing surface with bleachers, locker rooms, commercial kitchen, meeting offices and substantial parking.   

The Town had previously been awarded a Community Development Block Grant – Neighborhood Revitalization grant that will improve sidewalks and add decorative lighting to make the area safer and pedestrian friendly. 

To read more on the plans for the Community Center, see the Town’s August 2024 Update.