Continuously serving Kosciusko County since 1854
NORTH WEBSTER - Ball State University professors and students presented a multi-media makeover for "a sleepy little fishing village" Thursday night.
They asked townspeople and other interested people to use their imaginations: to see trees and hedges, flower-laden borders, colorful awnings, canopies and banners flying; to hear music from the bandstand.
More than 100 citizens gathered at the First United Methodist Church on Epworth Forest Road to see renderings and hear about the ideas stemming from a BSU Community Based Project, sponsored by the North Webster - Tippecanoe Township Chamber of Commerce.
The students spoke about their inspiration and the town's possible look for the future.
They took pictures in the wetlands, at the lake, along storefronts and drew in hedges hiding parking lots, gateways to revamped buildings and created downtown "green space."
It looked clean, colorful and captivating.
In the renderings, architecture professor Harry Eggink and his students built a new community pier, enlarged the waterfront at the park and put in a new community pier. They drew a circular greenway reaching out the the proposed elementary school and sketched bridges and pavilions in the wetlands.
The North Webster Elementary School building was shown transformed into a complex including the library, town offices and continuing education classrooms, as well as youth, day care and senior centers.
Bungalows for senior citizens were tucked in a grove of trees on the east side of the property.
The scholars installed gateways with bright banners flapping over entrances and built a pier with clever half-moon walkouts.
They asked that the town imagine groups playing in a bandstand in front of Pilcher's shoe store and an outside cafe by the bakery.
"Plan an outside party room," Eggink said. "Have an art festival, a jazz festival and a summer carnival look year-round."
Scott Truex, who coordinates the university's community based projects, asked those assembled to forget about the money the improvements would cost.
"The question is your will," he said. "Are you willing to roll up your sleeves, take on a consensus as a community, take on some hard projects?
"Will you have a dream, have a consensus? Will you sit down and do it?" he asked.
Mary Gerard, human resources manager of Dekko Heating Technologies, said the company will sponsor an organizational meeting May 9 from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. to get the revitalization ball rolling.
Committees for the North Webster Beautification Project will be formed to implement three- to five-year programs following the BSU outline.
The public is invited to attend both meetings.
