Published: May 10, 2008 08:24 pm         

Town association seeks to revitalize downtown

LAGRANGE, Ind. — According to members of the LaGrange Business and Community Association, the downtown area is in need of some serious attention.

The LBCA has been trying to organize and stir up community interest for a revitalization effort, but this may now be more difficult — at its last meeting, on May 8, the group’s president unexpectedly resigned.

LaGrange’s downtown area has “without a doubt been suffering,” Keith Stanton said in a previous interview. Stanton works for the LaGrange County Community Foundation, and until Thursday served as president of the LBCA.

The few blocks surrounding the county courthouse, and especially Detroit Street, said Stanton, “are economically challenged, and in need of economic development. You only have to drive through town to see the number of vacant buildings in deteriorating conditions.”

It’s true, in the few blocks that make up the town’s main business district, several buildings on the east side of Detroit Street stand empty, host to both “For Rent” and now-defunct business signs.

Bob Schlemmer, an eight-year member of the LBCA and owner of Schlemmer Hardware, agreed with Stanton’s sentiment.

“We’ve (LBCA) done some things,” he said, “but participation’s been not too strong.” Like other LBCA members, the vacant buildings are a concern of his, and he would like to see more effort from the community to revitalize the downtown area.

“But the question always comes up,” said Schlemmer, “where does the money come from?”

He also doesn’t want to limit community involvement to business owners.

“If we do,” he said, “it’s going to be a small group.”

Despite what LCBA members consider a deficiency in community involvement, the group hasn’t been sitting around waiting for volunteers. The association has met with a community liaison from the Indiana Office of Community and Rural Affairs, and Jo Grandel, program manager for OCRA’s Indiana Main Street, a program which helps communities organize and implement downtown revitalization efforts, and prepares them to apply for grants.

In fact, LCBA has already submitted an application and been accepted into Indiana Main Street. To do this, the association had to have an established committee, and provide a list of goals.

The goals include repairing or replacing downtown buildings, sidewalks and street lights; strengthening existing downtown businesses by helping them to obtain low-interest remodeling loans; requesting that the LaGrange County Community Foundation provide business owners and managers with seminars in strategic planning, accounting and finance; and attracting new businesses by developing a promotion strategy.

For this last goal, the LBCA is considering applying for a Community Focus Fund planning grant, which could supply up to $50,000 for a feasibility study and marketing strategy. These grants are disbursed by the Indiana Department of Commerce.

Due to other upcoming economic development factors in the county, marketing LaGrange’s downtown might become easier in the near future, Stanton said.

Among those factors are a proposed 100,000 square foot expo center, spearheaded by the local Amish woodworking community, as well as the county’s attainment of Major Moves Money. Development of the area recently named Fawn River Crossing — the intersection of Ind. 9 and the Indiana Toll Road — also served as an impetus for downtown revitalization.

Combined with these factors, the architectural integrity of downtown LaGrange make for a great opportunity, Stanton said.

“There are a lot of people that would like to retain the old-fashioned look. I see that in some of the modern, new commercial development, trying desperately to look like an old downtown. They’ve built a facade to make it look like that, and here we are, already blessed with those kinds of buildings.”

But even with the convergence of these favorable factors, community involvement remains a problem.

The LBCA has existed, in one form or another, for many years, previously known as the Downtown Merchants Association, then Viva LaGrange. Throughout the association’s life, said Mike Rowlison, LaGrange Town Manager and member of the LBCA, participation has “been kind of like a yo-yo,” with people intermittently joining and quitting.

Revitalization “needs to happen,” said Rowlison, “but how do we get the merchants involved?”

There was a good turnout at the group’s meeting on April 22, said Rowlison, and so the association members decided that at their next meeting, on May 8, they would elect officers to head up each of their four main revitalization goals.

However, at the May 8 meeting, Stanton unexpectedly resigned by letter, and only one business owner was in attendance. The group, a total of seven people, was left floundering, unsure of its next step.

Upon hearing of Stanton’s resignation, Jo Grandel, of Indiana Main Street, who was at the meeting, told the group they needed to ask themselves if the focus of the group would necessarily change due to Stanton’s absence.

“Are we still going where we want to go?” she asked.

The group’s answer, albeit rhetorical, was yes. In the end, they decided to organize a downtown cleanup day, to be held the week before LaGrange’s annual Liberty Days, held in July. They will also be looking for a new president, and trying to recruit new, enthusiastic members.