Madison, Indiana- The city is going to close down Needful Things Boutique, an adult-oriented business in a purple building on Harrison Street, Mayor Tim Armstrong said in a speech Sunday.

He said the building inspector, the police chief and the assistant police chief visited Needful Things and determined that it is a sexually oriented buisness. Because of its location, it violates a city ordinance, he said.

Needful Things is “sexually-oriented and it doesn’t belong there,” Armstrong said at the annual meeting of the Cornerstone Society, a preservation group affiliated with the Historic Landmarks Foundation of Indiana.

The audience of about 35 applauded him twice while he talked about shutting down the business, which is at 901 E. First St. at the corner of First and Harrison streets. Closing it down will be put on the Planning Commission’s agenda, Armstrong said. The commission’s next meeting will be at 6:30 p.m. Monday, March 3 at City Hall.

The city has had an ordinance regulating sexually oriented businesses since 1998.

Needful Things Boutique falls under the definition of “adult bookstore, adult novelty store or adult video store” in the ordinance. It is one of 10 categories of businesses regulated by the ordinance.

Such businesses are not allowed within 5,000 feet of city parks, schools, churches or residential areas. Needful Things is across the street from residences, and there are several neighborhoods within 5,000 feet, which is just short of a mile.

Also within 5,000 feet of the business are Jaycee Park, Firemen’s Park, Hargan-Matthews Park, Pearl Park, Lorenz Park, the city’s to-be-developed Bicentennial Park, Pilgrim Holiness Church and the alternative school at the Eggleston building.

Armstrong, who took office last month, disclosed the pending action against Needful Things when he was talking about goals for the city that include beautifying the entrances into Madison.

The purple building is one of the first things that visitors see when they come across the Ohio River on the Madison-Milton bridge from Kentucky. “That’s a beautiful sight, isn’t it,” Armstrong said, shaking his head.

“We need to have a little more teeth in some of our ordinances,” Armstrong said. Part of his responsibility as mayor, he said, is “to make sure the laws are enforced.”

“If we’re not going to clean our own mess up, who is going to do it?” he said. “The laws and ordinances are going to be enforced.”

Attempts to reach the business owner over the weekend and this morning were unsuccessful.

Also in keeping with beautifying the city, Armstrong said, the state highway department is going to tear down an unused, falling-down, rusted billboard below the Hillside Inn. The owner has been ill and unable to do it, he said. The billboard is on state highway right of way.

Another aspect of beautification that the city is looking into is the America in Bloom program. Armstrong said he can envision wildfilowers on hillsides such as along Michigan Road and State Road 7. “It takes some time, takes some effort,” but doesn’t cost much money, he said.

In indoor beautification, Armstrong said works by local artists now are on display in City Hall.

Andy Lytle, the city special projects coordinator, said Madison’s gateways such as on West Main Street and down the hills are being looked at for where the “Welcome to Madison” signs should be, and how those signs can be more attractive.

For example, he said, Madison’s past as a leading site for wrought iron making could be reflected in wrought iron sign posts and signs, and the gateway on Main Street could be a street lamp with flowers around it.