09/22/2026
Hillsboro Mayor Justin Harsha was the guest speaker for the Hillsboro Rotary Club’s weekly meeting Tuesday and provided updates on key projects within the city.
He said Crossroads Park is expected to host its first official performance on the Thursday before Memorial Day, a free summer concert series is planned for every other Thursday, Movies Under the Stars will be held there and it will be the new home for the Festival of the Bells.
He said the festival is now being run by the city, but that the same committee members from the festival are still involved. One of the reasons for this change was because the festival had challenges with the rapidly increasing cost of insurance and now, because it is city-owned, the city’s blanket insurance covers it.
Additionally, as planning for the amphitheater progressed, it became clear that a greater level of city involvement was necessary, Harsha said. Given that the amphitheater will be a state-of-the-art facility and a significant community asset, the city wanted to play an active role in overseeing festival operations.
The festival will also save money by using the new stage and other facilities at Crossroads Park instead of renting stages and tents, allowing more money to go toward entertainment.
The new park will include an amphitheater, a community and concession building, restrooms, an open-air event area and a splash pad, Harsha said, and it may be rented for private events. The city plans to keep events free during the first year, although low-cost tickets may be introduced for select major concerts in the second year.
Most of the park project is being funded through a $5.2 million Appalachian Community Grant, although the city has contributed additional money as engineering and related costs increased, he said.
Harsha also described the city’s purchase of 200 acres of land near state Route 138 as a long-term opportunity to add another entrance to Liberty Park and extend the Northview area for residential development.
He said the project is expected to remain in the planning stage for some time. The city intends to seek grants for the new road, water lines and other infrastructure, then make residential parcels available to private developers.
In response to a question about whether a data center might be built in that area, Harsha said the city has had no conversations or plans for a data center anywhere in Hillsboro.
Harsha said the Amazon facility is operating and that revenue connected to new development in the area will help repay infrastructure investments through tax-increment financing. The city is also working with another company that may occupy a future building, although no announcement has been finalized.
Meanwhile, the proposed hotel project, first discussed in 2019, remains delayed as its developers revise the design, add rooms, and prepare to return to the planning commission. Current concepts include a multistory hotel, a standalone restaurant, retail space and conference facilities, but no decisions have been made.
