News release from the City of Fort Wayne:
West Jefferson gateway enhancements move forward
(April 13, 2015) – Improvements to the West Jefferson Blvd. gateway from the west are moving forward. Today, the Fort Wayne Redevelopment Commission will consider a $337,000 contract for cleaning and painting the railroad elevations and installing lighting in order to create a welcoming entrance into the downtown area. The meeting begins at 4 p.m. in Room 030 on the Garden Level of Citizens Square, 200 E. Berry St.
The work is proposed for bridges over West Jefferson at Catalpa Street and Lindenwood Avenue just north of West Jefferson. They will be cleaned and painted an orange-red color, and brush and debris will be removed from alongside the bridges. New lighting will also be installed underneath the West Jefferson bridge. Design Collaborative conducted the design and spec work for the elevation improvements and will serve as the construction manager of the project. Work is expected to begin in late spring and conclude in late summer.
“This is part of a continued effort to enhance our City’s gateways,” said Mayor Henry. “By improving this entrance to our community, we make our City more welcoming and attractive to businesses, visitors and residents. We want to promote civic pride and, more importantly, attract new businesses and their employees.”
The projects are proposed to be paid for with Tax Increment Financing, or TIF, which is a tool used by local governments to invest any new property tax revenue into a geographic area from which the revenue was generated.
Improving the West Jefferson gateway is a recommendation of the Front Door Fort Wayne Plan, which is a comprehensive 10-year plan to transform the City’s primary corridors and gateways. The plan was developed with input from a 14-member citizen advisory committee and was adopted in June 2012. It focuses on providing welcoming entrances to our community in order to promote economic development.
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