REDKEY — Residents got a first look this week at the town’s revitalization plan.
During a meeting at Key Palace Theatre, representatives from architecture firm Remenschneider Associates presented the plan with a focus on getting more people downtown.
The revitalization plan, which was designed through Kimley Horn, an engineering consultant company in Carmel, includes putting a new façade on several buildings, creating a bike and pedestrian trail that runs through downtown and working toward creating an entrepreneurship environment.
Ken Remenschneider, who is leading the development of the plan, said it is integral to helping Redkey thrive.
“Communities compete with other communities, they compete for residents, they compete for jobs, they compete for business,” Remenschneider said. “Communities that don’t have a plan or a path forward generally go into decline.”
The key component of the revitalization plan is the creation of an Indiana Main Street organization in Redkey. Indiana Main Street encourages community-driven revitalization of downtown areas, meaning it encourages the promotion of an entire downtown opposed to a single business.
Being part of the Main Street program would qualify Redkey for a variety of grant opportunities, said Ami Huffman, director of Jay County Community Development.
One of those is a façade grant from the Indiana Office of Community and Rural Affairs that would allow Redkey to rework the outside of several downtown buildings. For the most part, the buildings are in good shape structurally but are in need of some sprucing up on the outside.
A steering committee, comprised of merchants and council members, chose the Masonic Lodge and former fire station as targets for such improvements in addition to buildings that sit across from each other at the intersection of High and Union streets.
“There were a lot of people in the group that had buildings and they chose not to do their own,” Huffman said. “They were looking out for where potential growth could be and how they could help each other out.”
In addition to the new building facades, the revitalization plan includes a bike and pedestrian trail that would go through downtown Redkey.
“The state of Indiana has pretty poor health statistics, it’s been pretty well documented that if you have facilities that encourage walking, bicycling, people use them,” Remenschneider said. “And the downtown is more appealing when you have walking and biking facilities that you can use while getting to experience downtown.”
The proposed trail would expand upon the existing trail along Railroad Street, extending southwest and across Indiana 1 to the area near the intersection of George and Herman Streets. It would continue north past the pond at Redkey Elementary school and then turn east and run along Boyce Street to Indiana 1.
Additionally, plans include adding decorative streetlights, paving and planters on High and Meridian streets, and making Redkey signs more visible throughout downtown.
Huffman said the town might also look to start a farmers market. As part of the revitalization plan, a survey was sent out to Redkey residents and visitors. Out of 170 respondents, 110 said they would frequent a farmers market, should the city start one.
The first draft of the revitalization plan has to be turned in to the state by the end of the month. It is scheduled for review by OCRA in May. The steering committee will meet again in June, and a public comment session on the plan will be scheduled for July, and it should be completed in August. Having a plan in place will allow the town to apply for funds to help make its proposed revitalization projects a reality.
“There’s already a lot going on there, but they just want to grow that, they want to build on that,” Huffman said. “It’s been fun to help with downtown revitalization, which is kind of a want, and not having to focus so much on the needs.”