Ribbon Cutting on the Downtown MSRP Project

Main Street of Hope held a ribbon cutting ceremony today for the culmination of the Downtown Main Street Revitalization project; the culmination of a five-year process.  Hope was designated a Main Street Community in 2015. The goal of Main Street is to revitalize and bring back vitality to small rural downtowns while celebrating their historic character.  In 2016 Main Street started the revitalization project with a working group, a community study, public meetings and finally a finished plan.  Main Street took that finished plan, developed by Storrow and Kinsella Group of Indianapolis and Columbus Architect Louis Joyner, and made it their own.  They looked at what aspects they felt Hope and the community really needed, and what was realistically achievable through grant funding.  Their end plan focused on adding ADA pathways to the square.  Integrating the different sections of the square was a goal, along with accessibility to those in wheelchairs or walkers.  New streetlights were another goal with safety being the biggest factor there.  New LED lights would also be more environmentally friendly.  Main Street was also focused on aesthetics, and wanted to reflect Hope’s status as a National District in the light posts, trash cans and benches placed downtown.  The committee settled on the late Victorian Age as Hope’s heyday, and picked benches and light posts to reflect this.  They also wanted to do away with the mish mash of styles downtown, and streamline things. 

In August of 2019, the Indiana Office of Community and Rural (OCRA) announced Hope had won a grant award of $428,360 grand for their Main Street Revitalization project.  Match funding had already been secured from the Heritage Fund, the Elizabeth R. and Walter C. Nuget Foundation & the Clarence E. and Inez R. Custer Foundation, The Columbus Area Visitors Center, and an in-kind match from Hope Native Joe Dodd of Linear Landscape Architecture in California.  The bidding process began and ground was broken in July of 2020.  COVID-19 presented delays and challenges, but construction officially wrapped up on October 9, 2020. 

Town Council Vice President Clyde Compton welcomed attendees and started the opening today.  Pastor Ed Cottrell from the Hope Ministerial Association gave the opening prayer.  Susan Thayer Fye, executive director of Main Street of Hope went on to introduce Matt Crouch, Interim Executive Director of the Office of Community and Rural Affairs, who spoke briefly.  She then recognized the funders and supporters of the project, as well as the contractors and volunteers who contributed to the successful completion of the project.  Strand and Associates, Administrative Resources Association, Poole Group, the Hope town council and Main Street members both past and present were recognized.  A tear was brought to the eyes of many when the contributions of Barb Johnson and Chuck Baker were mentioned.  Both Main Street members sadly passed away this year.  Susan neglected to note the project would have never come to fruition without her leadership.  After a brief explanation of Hope’s yellow trail, a yellow ribbon was cut to celebrate completion of the project.