Work begins on READI-funded Batesville Arts & Innovation Hub
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(rendering courtesy of the Batesville Memorial Public Library)
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(rendering courtesy of the Batesville Memorial Public Library)
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(rendering courtesy of the Batesville Memorial Public Library)
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(rendering courtesy of the Batesville Memorial Public Library)
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(rendering courtesy of the Batesville Memorial Public Library)
Officials in Batesville have broken ground on an $8.1 million project that is being supported by the state’s Regional Economic Acceleration and Development Initiative, or READI 2.0.
The Batesville Arts & Innovation Hub is an 8,300-square-foot expansion of the Batesville Memorial Public Library that is “designed to serve as a regional anchor for creativity, education, and entrepreneurship.”
When complete, the expansion will include a 200-person multipurpose event space and theatre, a fully equipped makerspace, an audio-visual recording studio, quiet study spaces, and indoor and outdoor collaboration areas.
Library Director Kim Porter told Inside INdiana Business that the project helps build on the library’s long-range plan.
“As we were updating the library and looking at things and wanting to move forward with the services that we provide our library, and seeing what other libraries provide in more metropolitan urban areas, we knew that we didn’t have the space to provide makerspace or more meeting rooms,” Porter said. “Also just conversations and collaborations with people out in our community also helped us to see the needs that other people in other organizations in our community had as well.”
The makerspace is a key component to the expansion. The library said the space will be equipped with tools for 3D printing, a laser cutter, and vinyl printer.
Porter said while there are makerspaces for kids in schools and at the Kids Discovery Factory children’s museum in Batesville, the library wanted to provide a space for older students, as well as adults looking to get a start on their entrepreneurial journey.
“When you start a business, you don’t actually always have all the materials or the things that you need to start a business. And we see that a lot in the public library, just even using our internet or our study rooms or just things like that,” she said. “So we knew that there was a need there. We’re just trying to give them a hand up.”
Porter added the library also wants to create a space for students to work on a school project, record a podcast, or just have room to study.
The project is being supported with a $2 million READI 2.0 grant. Batesville is part of the Accelerate Rural Indiana region, which received a $30 million allocation in 2024.
“Our library has never had debt,” Porter said. “We knew when we asked our city to allow us to have a bond, we didn’t want to go too far over. So we had set that limit, and we knew that we needed that $2 million to be able to make this project go to. To make it with this economy and things we were doing, we we needed that extra push to help us.”
Construction on the expansion is expected to be complete in 2026.
Porter said the project is a true community collaboration being done with the help of the city of Batesville, the Batesville Area Arts Council, and Batesville Community School Corp., among others.
“This groundbreaking marks more than the start of construction—it represents a bold investment in Batesville’s future,” Batesville Mayor John Irrgang said in written remarks. “The Batesville Arts & Innovation Hub will be a place where people of all ages come together to learn, create, and grow.”
The library is also seeking grants and donations to raise an additional $500,000 to support various site improvements around the project.
