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Last updated on Tuesday, April 17, 2012
(BROWNSTOWN) - A Brownstown Downtown Planning Workshop is scheduled from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. April 26 at Brownstown Christian Church.
The public workshop will focus on downtown enhancements, and all town residents, business owners and anyone else interested in seeing improvements to the downtown may attend.
A small meal will begin at 5:30 p.m.
The study area for the project includes nine blocks of downtown, bounded by Spring Street, Water Street, Tanner Street and Main Street or U.S. 50.
The project will include a more detailed focus on the former feed mill and other structures within the 100 block of East Walnut Street facing the courthouse square as well as the Jackson County History Center property in the 200 block of East Walnut Street.
In addition, general improvements to the nine-block area will be considered.
Results generated during the workshop will contribute to a study that will focus on improvements.
Workshop attendees will be asked to offer their vision for the downtown and identify issues that need to be addressed through group discussion, drawing or making comments on maps and helping the project team rank potential community projects for future implementation.
The study is funded in part by a $36,000 Community Focus Fund Planning Grant administered by the Indiana Office of Community and Rural Affairs, with matching funds of $4,000 provided by the community and an Endangered Places grant from Indiana Landmarks.
Brownstown Downtown Revitalization Steering Committee met with RATIO Architects, which is conducting the study, on March 15 at the Brownstown Town Hall for a kickoff meeting.
Participants were Jerry Hounshel, Jennifer Isaacs, John Nolting, David Willey, Margie Strange, Dick Rumph, Jennifer Shade, Larry Raymer, Raymond Bachmann, Joe Reynolds, Linda McCormick, Laura Renwick and Debbie Hackman, as well as David Kroll, Ben Ross and Jen Higginbotham, all with RATIO Architects Inc.
During that meeting, attendees were asked, "If you were given $1 million to spend downtown, what would you do with it?"
Responses centered on a range of issues and opportunities. Those ideas will be worked up by RATIO and used during the April 26 planning workshop to spur additional ideas.
Before the meeting, RATIO will meet with property owners and evaluate the feed mill and history center and conduct walk-throughs of the bank building on the eastern corner of Walnut and Main streets and other buildings.
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