The Wabash City Board of Public Works and Safety met on Thursday evening in City Hall, where the three-member board and the visiting public were informed on recent Stellar work in the community.
In August 2014, the City was named a Stellar Communities designee by the State, which will ultimately bring millions of State and federal grant dollars into the community for a variety of projects,;
Rachel Uthe, a project manager for American Structurepoint, the Fort Wayne firm contracted with the City for Stellar matters, stopped by City Hall on Thursday to give the Board a quarterly report on how projects are developing.
In all, the six current slated Stellar projects were discussed. Uthe began with improvements at the historic Eagles Theatre Community Center, which the Stellar Committee plans to be preserved, restored and renovated for expanded community functions, such as community events, gatherings, weddings, etc.
Uthe said that a contract has been approved between krM Architecture+, the City and the Honeywell Foundation, which owns and operates the downtown theater, for work that, to name a few, includes concept development, schematic design and environmental review.
Uthe then spoke of the Stellar funds’ owner occupied rehabilitation program for the city, which will assist low-income homeowners to perform much-needed work for the safety and security of community homes, including adapting homes for seniors and improving properties’ energy efficiency. A goal of 20 homes with about $20,000 in improvements per home has been established.
Construction, Uthe added, is slated to be complete around July or August.
The SR 13/15 Corridors Improvements project, which will look to aesthetically and pragmatically improve the transportation and streetscape aspects of the joint state roads between Canal and Smith streets, was also discussed, with Uthe advising that everything’s on schedule, including construction in 2018.
The Rock City Lofts, a renovation project at an East Market Street property that will look to provide 40 affordable residential unites catered to seniors on the second and third floors of the historic structure, along with improved commercial and retail space on the first floor, was also talked about.
Uthe said that the full construction drawings are due by Monday, that bidding will be complete by May 15 and that they’re on track for construction this summer, also noting that there have been coordination meetings with the Wabash County Historical Museum, located across the street, regarding a parking lot design.
Uthe also touched base on the All Inclusive Playground, a play area designed for children who do or don’t have disabilities that’s planned to be located just west of the Wabash County YMCA.
“In general, the schedule’s looking like design documents will be completed this summer with construction pending fundraising,” Uthe said, noting that construction could begin this fall, pending the success of donation outreach and promotional materials, including a website and video highlighting the playground.
Finally, the Façade Program is in its second phase, which will look to promote opportunities for downtown business owners to improve façade rehabilitation. In all, approximately 20 buildings/applicants have been awarded, with four buildings complete and eight progressing with construction.
Stellar projects that are on hold include the conversion of Market and Canal streets between Wabash and Allen streets to two-way streets, the improvement of community riverwalks and the construction of an outdoor amphitheater at Paradise Spring Historical Park.