Continuously serving Kosciusko County since 1854
Warsaw's downtown may seem a little brighter now that the sun is reflecting off new windows above Allen's Designs and Male Fashions on Center Street.
Bill and Sue Allen recently took advantage of a city-funded grant program to improve their storefront.
The Allen's purchased the building at 111 E. Center St. 12 years ago. The second-story window glass was removed at some point prior to their ownership and the spaces were covered with plywood, a common practice when glass broke, the window frames began to leak or just weren't energy efficient any longer.
"The window replacement was something we'd been talking about doing," said Sue Allen. "The windows were boarded up when we bought the building. It looks 100 percent better."
The facade program is administered by the Warsaw Community Development Corp. A committee reviews photographs, designs and descriptions of the proposed improvements, a process Allen called very simple.
If approved, the property owner initially pays the total invoice, submits the paid bills and receives a 50 percent reimbursement.
At Allen's Designs, a new awning and new sign also grace the front of the building.
The total project was about $6,000. The Allens will receive $2,789.42 from the WCDC.
The city budgeted $25,000 in 2003 and has the same amount scheduled to be available in 2004.
"The downtown looks healthier when the upper story windows aren't boarded up," said the city's community coordinator Teresa Ho. Ho serves on the WCDC review committee.
Facade improvements were stressed by the HyettPalma Downtown Action Plan presented in 2001.
"It is wonderful of the city to do this," Allen said.
A new awning has been ordered for Male Fashions and other projects are planned for later this summer and fall.
