Brownstown officials gather ideas for town site on north side of courthouse square

Those ideas along with many others were placed on a list of potential uses for a vacant lot the town of Browns- town recently purchased.

It took about two weeks to demolish the former feed mill on the 0.45-acre site at 121 E. Walnut St. on the north side of the courthouse square.

It’s likely going to take much longer to settle on a use for the site if a recent public meeting to discuss its future is any indication.

But a list of ideas compiled during that meeting this week at W.R. Ewing in Brownstown shows the diversity of thoughts put forward by the three dozen people in attendance.

John Nolting, president of the town council, spent an hour talking about possible use for the property, which the town bought for $45,000 earlier this year. A $155,000 federal grant helped pay for the purchase and the $64,562 it cost to demolish the two feed mill buildings and a silo.

Nolting said council members always knew tearing down the mill and cleaning up the site was just the first step in a process that began when they took office 2½ years ago.

Councilmen, however, don’t want to make a decision about the future of the site without taking the wishes of the community into consideration, he said.

“I feel like there are probably some really good ideas out there,” he said.

A lot of ideas were discussed, but a recurring theme involved the need to take it slow. A second was eventually putting something on the site to bring people to the town.

“You might not ever have this opportunity again,” town resident Dallas Munter said while urging town officials not to make any quick decisions about the property.

Nolting said there are a few restrictions on the property.

“We can’t sell the property,” he said.

Shannon McLeod, the consultant who helped obtain the federal grant, said all of the money would have to be returned if the property were sold.

The only way that would be feasible is if a developer with lots of money bought the property, she said.

“It would really have to be beneficial for the downtown,” Nolting said.

McLeod said the town could put up a building, if there was money available, and lease it to a potential developer.

Nolting said the council’s initial thoughts are to sow the area with grass seed and then put out some benches and maybe even a few picnic tables and a stage. That’s likely the immediate future of the property, he said.

Town resident Larry Spurgeon said any future use of the property should involve something to bring people to the county seat.

His wife, Mary Sue Spurgeon, said she would like to see some kind of permanent structure, such as an amphitheater, erected for performances.

John McCoy, another town resident, suggested the council look at building a new town hall since the present one has begun to show its age. According to property tax records, town hall was built in 1950.

He said the council also might want to seek city status to have more clout with the legislature.

Cliff Sommers, another town resident, discussed several possible uses for the site.

“There’s grant money available from the Indiana Bicentennial Commission,” Sommers said.

He said the town could pursue a grant from the commission and follow through with a project related to the 2016 bicentennial.

“You could call it Bicentennial Park,” Sommers said.

He said some of his friends have talked about having a beer garden during the Jackson County Watermelon Festival and suggested that might be another idea.

McLeod said the town council might want to try to come up with a project or two from all of the ideas and a couple of studies about the downtown that have been completed in the past. She said that would allow her to pursue possible grants.

Clerk-Treasurer David Willey said he plans to send a survey with sewer bills to see if town residents have other ideas for the property.