The Pilot News - Culver’s downtown will receive major facelift

Culver was recently listed alongside mostly larger, more metropolitan communities as recipient of one of INDOT’s Transportation Enhancement grants, the only community in the LaPorte District to receive any of that funding. The total project, says Doss, is estimated at $528,450 (Culver’s local match was $106,450, making monies awarded an even $422,000).
Among the enhancements to Culver’s downtown – that is, the area of Main Street between Washington and Madison Streets – are new sidewalks, brick pavers along the sidewalks, new curb and gutter drains, new decorative street lighting, tree wells for new trees, and conduit run down sidewalks on both sides to help accommodate outdoor events, festivals, or other needs for electrical power in the downtown area.
“The great thing about this project is it’s not only something which will benefit the downtown and the businesses there,” explains Doss, “but it also coincides with our overall comprehensive plan and the goals of the Second Century Committee in terms of street lighting and downtown beautification. It also adds more trees to the downtown, which is beneficial to the goals and objectives of the tree commission.”
Culver Town Council President Sally Ricciardi agrees. “The sum of money awarded to the town and the matching funds that we will need to invest in this project will be worth the benefits our downtown area will reap from the project,” she notes.
Ricciardi also thanked Culver’s Chamber of Commerce, Redevelopment Commission, and local businesses who supported the town’s application efforts. “It’s nice to know we can lean on the business community to help us apply for these funds,” Ricciardi added. “Without their support, the application process for grants like this one would not be possible.”
One central emphasis behind the project, says Doss, is the unique role Culver’s downtown plays in the local economy. “A lot of communities will have a very nice-looking little downtown, but their development is off on the highway somewhere. We’re unique in that ours is not just a pass-through downtown on your way to the shopping center. It’s more important to us to have downtown revitalization because the downtown is paramount to our businesses.”
Culver Town Council member Lynn Overmyer, herself a business owner in the downtown area, also expressed happiness at news of the grant, which she said “will be a big help to revitalizing the downtown area…I think it’s important for our local people to shop locally, and the more we can do to enhance the downtown businesses, the better we’ll be.”
“We’re really excited,” says Doss. “It’s a very competitive grant, and this was our first shot at it. Typically these are submitted two or three times before someone is awarded (funding).”
Doss notes some sidewalks in the downtown area are badly deteriorated and have no drainage, something the project will improve. And the new ornamental street lighting expected will give off “a nice, crisp, white-burning light as opposed to pumpkin orange -- it’s a more inviting setting at night. It makes it seem like the downtown’s alive; when you walk out of businesses downtown, it seems like something’s happening.”
Brick paving will make up downtown crosswalks and will be present alongside sidewalks, though Doss says care will be taken not to clash with or detract from the brick style of the Antiquarian and Historical Society of Culver’s Heritage Park at Jefferson and Main Streets. The project will also make Culver’s downtown completely compliant with standards of the Americans with Disabilities Act.
Special care will be taken, he adds, not to interrupt the flow of Culver’s busiest seasons of spring and summer. Instead, the project is anticipated to begin next autumn following Labor Day. “We will make every conscious effort to have those (affected) local businesses involved and informed, and to accommodate their needs,” he notes, adding the work will be done “as quick as possible, weather permitting.”
Doss expects to rotate blown-up drawings from the engineering firm who volunteered to create the initial project plans from input by Doss and the town, among downtown businesses leading up to the start of the project.
He says there’s also a possibility of future opportunities such as facade improvement for downtown buildings and revitalization projects for Culver’s “uptown” (the business district in the town park/Lake Shore Drive area), through grants as well. Facade improvements, he says, would improve storefronts and add new signage and awnings.
But in the immediate future, Doss and town officials are focusing on the positive attributes of the upcoming downtown revitalization, including some potential “ripple effects” such a move can bring about.
“I’ve seen this in other communities,” Doss says. “The goal is the town taking the initiative to do improvements and enhancements to the downtown and ultimately the uptown, and it encourages businesses to make improvements and also springs out into community at large. Those neighbors start to get inspiration to make improvements as well.
“Our goal,” he adds, “is to ensure there’s not any vacant (storefronts). Right now we have a couple (and) maybe this will inspire someone to put a business down there…it’s all about attracting and retaining businesses and patrons as well.”