A color guard comprised of members of the Columbus Police Department and Bartholomew Sheriff’s Department retires the colors during a memorial service for law enforcement officers killed in the line of duty at Public Safety Plaza in Columbus, Ind., Friday, May 17, 2019.
Columbus has approved funding to redesign the downtown entrance into the city.
Columbus Redevelopment Commission unanimously approved a resolution on Monday to fund a redesign of the “Downtown Entrance Plaza,” consisting of the POW/MIA/Law Enforcement Plaza north of State Road 46 and the Robert D. Garton Veterans Plaza south of the highway.
The resolution put $400,000 towards construction and $50,000 towards design fees for the project being led by the Columbus Design Institute, an arm of the Landmark Columbus Foundation.
The foundation’s Laura Garrett said Director of Redevelopment Heater Pope and Director of Community Development Robin Hilber came to the foundation “about two years ago” to enlist the institute’s help, which Garrett said “works as kind of a facilitator for different types of strategic planning and design processes.”
The institute formed a committee of 12 community residents, made up of those who are on the site or nearby, to help with the process.
The institute issued requests for qualifications (RFQs) for the redesign at the end of February and received 18 submissions, Garrett told the commission.
“We are asking for $450,000 right now and I’ll tell you, that is not a very big budget. But yet, Columbus can still draw some of the best designers that are interested in being a part of our community, which is really exciting,” Garrett said.
“As Laura said, the $450,000 isn’t a large budget for this type of a project, especially a complete kind of renovation of the area,” Pope said. “However, what we’ve asked for designers to provide is more of a phased approach is what we’re hoping for.”
In planning for the redesign, the Columbus Design Institute determined four goals they wanted to accomplish by redesigning the green space created in 2000 by world-renowned landscape architects Michael Van Valkenburg and Associates:
- Make the gateway entry more attractive, safe, and accessible while maintaining green space and allowing more interaction with the public.
- Collaborate with organizations with a stake in the property to creatively solve site deficits and design for greater use, enjoyment, and connectivity to the 1821 Trail, downtown, and future riverfront development.
- Improve pedestrian-friendly design features with the vehicular experience ensuring the site design creates a positive experience and complements the key downtown features.
- Ensure compliance with the American Disabilities Act and the Public Right-of-Way Accessibility Guidelines.
The 18 submissions were whittled down to five finalists, who then interviewed. Garrett said they do have a final selection in mind, but are not yet ready to make the announcement.
The $450,000 will be enough to fund improvements to the hardscape and landscape but “it’ll be tight at that,” Garrett told the commission.
Some of the site’s infrastructure improvements will be funded by using dollars from a Tax Increment Finance (TIF) district that helped fund the construction of The Cole apartment complex. Pope said there may be other avenues for funds as well.
“The POW/MIA folks if they want to add more, then they can do some fundraising. I think they may have some funds that they may like to contribute, but at least this piece of it, the city can lay the groundwork for that.”
“You have spaces and memorials that aren’t being given justice right now,” Garrett said, acknowledging that the plaza, when originally built, was designed to just have cars pass through.
“What it is now, people are coming from The Cole to walk their dog, they’re sitting for respite within overgrown trees,” Garrett said. “But just thinking through how you can safely buffer that road and that sound, and in a way create a more usable space for honoring those that have spaces there.”
Pope said the chosen designer will come before the commission next month.
