By Don Steen ~ Staff Writer • reporter@psci.net
ROCKPORT – The race is on to develop a revitalization plan for downtown Rockport. The consulting firm, Veridus Group of Indianapolis, was in town over the weekend to conduct a series of informational sessions and focus groups to garner public input on the needs and potential of the city.
The city council successfully applied for a Main Street Revitalization Grant through the Office of Rural and Community Affairs last year, which is completely funding the establishment of a thorough plan for development and improvement to downtown Rockport. These grants are quite competitive, and Councilwoman Donna Lashley said a revitalization plan could help Rockport emulate the success of nearby Huntingburg.
“We’ve got it, now we’ve got to run with it,” she said.
Project Manager Jack Woods of Veridus Group addressed a large crowd Thursday night for the first big planning session. Residents were asked to relay notes on what they’d like to see in their city.
“What’s great about downtown? What’s missing from downtown? What do you consider downtown?” was the general prompt.
Veridus Group also met with local students on Friday, following up a round table of business leaders on Main Street on Saturday. Those who missed the last round of public input sessions may yet have an opportunity to weigh in.
Popular ideas, prioritized improvements and other information will be formulated into a detailed proposal for further review and discussion. Woods expects a rough draft to be ready for public review by the end of April.
Featured Image: Liz Mooney discusses future plans and ideas on how to revitalize downtown Rockport
The meeting to discuss the revitalization of downtown Rockport drew quite the crowd of attendees
Attendees placed stickers on a priority board filled with different ideas on how to revitalize downtown Rockport
Aside from the priority boards, there was a table set up for meeting attendees to write written comments
