Marion’s downtown area is the center of several ongoing projects that aim to reinvigorate businesses and charm visitors to the city.
Along with paint touchups on lampposts, the downtown square has also seen a splash of color from new flowers and artistically designed benches are scheduled to be completed in the near future.
“The work on that really started in April and we’ve been working with the Parks Department on everything,” said Loretta Tappan, director of Main Street Marion. “It’s been an amazing partnership. They’ve got a lot of really awesome things going on but they still made time to help us with our downtown projects.”
Along with the Marion Parks and Recreation Department, the Community Foundation of Grant County has also played a key funding piece in the downtown upgrades.
“The Community Foundation gave Main Street Marion a grant for $11,500 to continue the beautification of the downtown area,” said Dawn Brown, Community Foundation director.
Brown cited a recent Chronicle-Tribune survey that asked residents what they felt the strengths and weaknesses of the city were as part of the motivation behind the downtown projects.
“One of the main issues that came out of that was really the self esteem issue that the community has,” she said. “We felt like this was the perfect place to start…it’s the hub of a lot of activity in Grant County.”
As part of that effort, hanging flower baskets and ground planters were installed around the courthouse square in downtown. The surrounding lampposts were also scraped clean of any stickers or flyers and given a fresh coat of paint.
Brown added that the flowers that were planted downtown are the same type that is planted in the Gardens of Matter Park.
“We’re trying to replicate that as much as possible because it’s a great brand of plant,” she said.
By the end of the summer, eight new benches will also be unveiled in the downtown area. Those benches will be a part of the “BenchMark” competition. The contest is hosted by Main Street Marion and is designed to “spark interest in accomplished and aspiring artists while creating new energy on the downtown square.”
In a statement, Main Street Marion Design Committee member and project organizer, Pamela Schechty, said “BenchMark is a public art project intended to uplift, inspire and ‘tickle the fancy’ in a colorful and creative way.”
Tappan added that the benches will be unveiled at the September First Friday event.
“We’re starting with the benches around the square,” she said. “The theme is the ‘unique attributes of the Marion/Grant County community and region.’ It just has to be something that honors the Marion/Grant County community.”
The deadline for artists to submit their design is Monday. All details can be found at mainstreetmarion.com.
Keeping the downtown area clean and appealing to visitors is important, Tappan said, because “it keeps it as a place that people feel welcome…a place that people want to live, work and play in.”
Brown added that the work completed thus far in downtown “looks awesome.”
“We’re getting a ton of compliments,” she said. “I hope that people drive by and take a look at it because everyday this summer it’s going to get better and better.”