HUNTINGBURG — The Stellar Communities committee provided an update on projects linked to the statewide award the city won last summer in a public forum that included presentations and input from officials and residents.
The gathering at Old Town Hall on Wednesday evening was another step on Huntingburg’s path to complete a series of projects, some of which are underway, aimed to upgrade and beautify the city over the next four years and beyond.
Ron Taylor and Scott Siefker of Taylor Siefker Williams Design Group of Indianapolis discussed designs for the redevelopment of downtown on Fourth Street and at the Market Street Park. The designers highlighted various aspects of the projects such as the “flex” parking along Fourth Street that will allow a diverse range of functions for the street, including outdoor seating and an area for the Heritage Trail, another Stellar-related project that will create a path that circles the city and will pass along either side of Fourth Street.
A couple of the key features of Market Street Park be a permanent amphitheater for live shows and a covered terrace for hosting events like the weekly farmers market that currently takes place on Saturday mornings in the spring, summer and fall in the parking lot at Huntingburg Memorial Gymnasium.
“From the get-go, this has been a community-based project, and the concept development to get to this (public forum) has been very community-driven whether it’s the amenities they would like to see or activities they would like to be able to host in the park,” Siefker said. “I think what we’re hearing this evening is, whatever your perspective is, there’s something in the park for them.”
Spreading the word among residents has generated buzz that first surfaced while Huntingburg worked its way through the selection process last summer and peaked when the city — along with Wabash in the north-central area of the state — was named one of two Stellar designees at the Indiana State Fair in August.
“My initial reaction is excitement for the public to get to see this for the first time,” said Cory Menke, chairman of the subcommittee over Fourth Street and Market Street Park. “At this point, it’s just a rendering to, more or less, highlight some of the areas than it is, ‘That is what the whole concept is going to be.’ The whole theme in which (Siefker) alluded to is that it’s going to be based around Old Town Hall, and that’s what we’ve said over and over, we want the theme to be based off this historic building of Huntingburg.”
Citizens were asked Wednesday evening to take a closer look at design boards as well as share their questions, comments and concerns with city officials and the Indianapolis-based designers. Comment cards were made available and collected by city officials at the end of the meeting.
Some residents has reservations about the look.
“I’m kind of disappointed in the drawings,” said Susan Engelbrecht of Huntingburg. “The layout is beautiful, but they’re not sticking to the historic feel of the city, which is what a lot of people love about Huntingburg. It makes this beautiful old town hall take a back seat.”
At least one resident wondered about funding.
“It’s an impressive project ... but my main concerns are once this project is all in and done, where’s the funding going to come from to keep it up?” said Allen Fritz of Huntingburg. “The veterans monument up by the events center had some landscaping done a couple years ago, and after about a year and half all the plants died, so they finally pulled all that stuff out and put grass back down. It’s things like that, the maintenance of the project and things like that.”
With four years to complete $40 million worth of renovations, the list of projects looms, but Huntingburg Mayor Denny Spinner believes the literal and figurative groundwork being laid this month will allow the city to get a running start. Although there’s a headway being made on a handful of projects, physical ground hasn’t and won’t be broken on many of the endeavors for five to six months.
“To get all this done in four years is going to be a great challenge,” Spinner said. “There may be projects that may not be completed by the end of the four-year process, but our plan is to at least have them underway by the time the designation is over.”