The Evansville Economic Improvement District (EID) was formed in 2017, and was funded in 2018 by the 450 businesses that form the district in downtown Evansville.
You’ll know the EID by events such as the Wine Walk series and the Wednesday street markets. They’re also responsible for the alley enhancements — games and lighting, and the chandelier tree among others.
They focus on three key areas of focus for the downtown district: clean, safe and beautification.
“We have a growing residential population,” said EID Executive Director Adam Trinkel. “And there's very limited green space in downtown Evansville. We saw an opportunity with this parcel that wasn't really currently being activated. And we thought ‘why not?’ We actually saw a lot of people kind of already using the space in that regard.”
Trinkel expects nearby residents from Post House and other facilities will use it the most.
Named the “Earthborn Holistic dog park,” it’s at the corner of Northwest Third Street and Engel. The property is owned by the Evansville Water and Sewer Utility and leased to the EID. Trinkel describes it as "small scale" and has agility courses.
Like most of the EID projects, this is a partnership. For beautification, they work with Keep Evansville Beautiful. They have a Clean and Safe manager.
Sponsors include the park’s namesake, Earthborn Holistic Pet Nutrition and others, said Trinkel.
“This is a free park,” he said. “There's no membership fees, no cost to attend, and it's open to anyone in the community so you don't have to be a resident of downtown. You know, visitors that come into our town and stay in our hotel rooms are welcome to use it and just anybody from the community.”
They fundraised $40,000 and have a budget for ongoing maintenance.
Trinkel said whether downtown beautification or building a dog park, the EID is all about making memories for visitors. Now this includes memories with pets.
“To be tying that to a space in downtown Evansville, we feel is really powerful,” he said. “Our work really revolves around how do we build a more active and inclusive downtown Evansville.”
He said in 2023, 980,000 visited the district. In the same year, the EID planted 1,000 flowers and removed 3,000 bags of trash.
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