Audubon Conference Center Project Receives Additional $2.8M in Funding

The new conference center in Audubon State Park will feature a grand room and breakout spaces.

Apr. 10, 2026 at 12:06am

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A miniature, stylized 3D illustration of a modern conference center building with a grand event space and breakout rooms, surrounded by lush greenery to represent its location within a state park, conceptually depicting the new facility's role in enhancing the visitor experience.A new conference center in Audubon State Park will provide a dedicated space for events, conferences, and educational programming, helping to attract more visitors and better serve the local community.Evansville Today

The Audubon Conference Center project in Evansville, Indiana has received an additional $2.8 million in funding, bringing the total budget to $16.5 million. The two-story conference center will include a grand room that can hold 400 people on the top level, as well as three breakout rooms on the bottom level that can each accommodate 75 to 100 people. The primary purpose of the building will be to serve the children who visit the park.

Why it matters

The new conference center will provide a dedicated space for events, conferences, and educational programming within Audubon State Park, helping to attract more visitors and better serve the local community. The additional funding will help offset rising construction costs due to inflation.

The details

The $2.8 million in additional funding was approved to adjust for inflation in the project's costs, which were originally estimated between $15-17 million. Henderson Mayor Brad Staton says the state senator and representative worked to get the extra money included in the state budget. The conference center will feature a grand room on the top level that can hold 400 people, as well as three breakout rooms on the bottom level that can each accommodate 75 to 100 people. The building will also serve as a hub for educational programming and activities for children visiting the park.

  • The additional $2.8 million in funding was approved in 2026.
  • The city hopes to break ground on the conference center project next spring.
  • The conference center is expected to open to the public sometime in 2029.

The players

Brad Staton

The mayor of Henderson, Indiana, who says the additional funding will help offset rising construction costs due to inflation.

Audubon State Park

The state park in Henderson, Indiana where the new conference center will be located.

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What they’re saying

“We had about $2.8 Million worth of inflation built into the parks. We went to the state and said, 'Hey because the situation took a while, can you help us out and put in that additional money for inflation?' And we've got our state senator and our state representative, both took the initiative and got that into the budget this year and it made the final cut.”

— Brad Staton, Mayor of Henderson

“Anybody that comes to visit there will be able to enjoy a conference or an event or a wedding or any of those type of things. But then also be able to completely enjoy the natural surroundings of Audubon State Park and what it has to offer.”

— Brad Staton, Mayor of Henderson

“Those kids will now have a place to go that has a better sense of place and where they can do activities like create art, or work on nature, or view animals, or hear about the history of John James Audubon and the state park itself while also being able to look around and see where their at and know that they're inside of this wonderful wonderful piece of nature that we call John James Audubon State Park here in Henderson.”

— Brad Staton, Mayor of Henderson

What’s next

City officials say almost $3 million in additional funding was also approved for an access road from the park to Watson Lane. Mayor Staton hopes to break ground on the conference center project next spring, with the goal of opening it to the public sometime in 2029.

The takeaway

The Audubon Conference Center project is a significant investment in enhancing the visitor experience and educational programming at Audubon State Park. The additional funding will help ensure the new facility can be built to meet the community's needs, despite rising construction costs, and serve as a hub for events, conferences, and hands-on learning opportunities for local students and park visitors.