Lebanon Mayor Matt Gentry Excited for Third Term

Photographer / Michaela Hoover

Lebanon Mayor Matt Gentry is looking forward to another four years of economic development and infrastructure improvements as he enters his third term.

“We have the beautiful courthouse square, the downtown area and all of the parks,” he says. “There are so many great building blocks of community here, but it’s also conveniently located wherever you want to go.”

One of the major projects that will impact Boone County for years to come is the Limitless Exploration Advanced Pace (LEAP) district that is currently under construction near Interstate 65.

“I think LEAP is going to be pivotal for Lebanon’s future,” Gentry says. “Fifty years from now I think people are going to look back and say this was a really important decision that the leadership of the town made at this time, and I think they’re going to say it was the right decision. It was a hard one, certainly, but I think it’s going to be in Lebanon’s long-term best interest.”

LEAP is a new concept for Indiana and the district is more than 9,000 acres of land. Eli Lilly is currently building a manufacturing campus that will focus on production in pharmaceutical ingredients as well as cell and gene therapy.

“I would just emphasize that the potential for LEAP for Lebanon and Boone County especially is untold,” Gentry says. “We’re talking tens of billions of investments from many, many companies that will provide phenomenal opportunities. We always hear about places losing population or kids from Indiana that move away for better opportunities. That doesn’t have to be the case. We can turn that back by forward-thinking projects like LEAP. It can provide those kids a reason to stay and also reasons for kids to come back. That’s something I think about a lot too.”

Gentry says he views LEAP as a project to support existing communities and provide better opportunities for existing residents.

“It really is about the future,” he says. “We certainly live in a global economy these days, and so how do we make sure that Lebanon, Boone County and Indiana can compete on that international level? I think we’re already seeing the successes of that, and I think there will be some additional announcements hopefully in 2024 that’ll show there’s a lot of people that are excited about what’s happening here. There’s a lot of great momentum in the area.”

Gentry says he’s been working towards keeping the city’s character and small-town feel, while also planning for growth and making sure infrastructure is in place. Throughout the last eight years, Gentry says he is most proud of completing the Big 4 Trail as well as the ADA-accessible playground at Memorial Park.

“[The trail] will kind of serve as the backbone for connecting our community,” he says. “I really believe that what keeps communities connected and tied together is the ability to get places without a car – being able to walk and see your neighbors or hop on your bike to go see your friends. I spend a lot of time thinking about sidewalks and street lights and parks. I think as a community, valuing those kinds of small placemaking and quality-of-life pieces are so important for a city’s infrastructure.”

In 2024 Gentry plans to work on a new park on the city’s west side, where the Street Department used to be. Work is also expected to be done on the Midland Trail, which will allow east-west connectivity to eastern Hamilton County.

The Brakeman building, Lebanon’s first new mixed-use building in over a century, is now open for residents. A nail salon is expected to open in the spring, and the city hopes to hear about more commercial additions soon. The city is also working on downtown parking solutions.

Now a father of two, Gentry’s driving force is making Lebanon a place future generations will want to come back to and raise their families.

“That’s really the motivating factor for me – trying to build a community that they will love, just like I love Lebanon,” he says. “No place is perfect, but I think we can all work together to try to make it a better place for everyone. They can travel the world, but whatever their dream is, they can do that here in Lebanon. It’s an ambitious goal, but that’s kind of how I view the world and how I approach it.”

If you have comments or concerns, Matt Gentry can be reached at 765-482-1201 or MayorGentry@Lebanon.IN.gov.