HOPE — Despite light rain, over 50 people gathered Wednesday for a ribbon-cutting ceremony to mark the completion of extensive renovations to the Hope Town Square.
One of the main purposes of the ceremony inside the shelterhouse was to acknowledge sponsors who have contributed money, time or skills to the project.
Most of the $437,500 was financed through the Indiana Main Street program, a division of the Indiana Office of Community and Rural Affairs (OCRA). However, several local individuals chipped in to contribute to the 20% of total expenses the town was required to pay, Main Street of Hope president Susan Thayer Fye said.
Matt Crouch, who serves as interim executive director of OCRA, lauded all of those in Bartholomew County, as well as in his own Indianapolis office, who worked on the renovation plans for downtown Hope.
“Many people over the years collaborated together in Hope to create an outstanding (proposal), and make it easy for us to decide that this is something we want to collaborate on,” Crouch said. “This is a celebration for the hard work that each and every one of you put into this project.”
Staging these types of celebrations are especially important as the state experiences rough economic times, a pandemic and high unemployment, Crouch said.
Improvements include the replacement of 43 streetlights with black posts and globes that utilize LED lights. Concrete pathways have been installed, as well as specially-designed park benches and receptacles. In addition, new roofs have been placed on both the shelterhouse and bandstand.
After the crowd dispersed Wednesday, a dozen “No Trespassing” signs were posted all around the square to ensure the park remains closed for the rest of the year, Hope Town Marshal Matt Tallent said. The closure is to give new grass seed an opportunity to grow and stabilize, council vice-president Clyde Compton said.
On Tuesday evening, Tallent told the town council that while he prefers not to arrest trespassers, his officers are prepared to escort them off the grounds.
