Thank You! Without the generous support of our sponsors: business, foundations, community members, stakeholders and individuals we would not be able to complete the work we do without your support. We are celebrating a new look and rebranding our Main Street image to better align and reflect what we represent when we showcase our network of supporting organizations such as Indiana Main Street and Main Street America. We recently went through Transformational Strategies with both organizations and look to go after National Main Street Accreditation this fall. Here are some of the highlights of the past year.
The City of Auburn Hoosiers Enduring Legacy Program or HELP is in the second year of the program and is working on the completion of the selected Memorial Park Project. The Memorial Park improvement project has an estimated cost of $2 million. In selecting the final project, it did need to meet funding requirements for the American Rescue Plan Act from the effects of Covid and be included in the Strategic Investment Plan. In the end this is going to be a beautiful impact to our local park. The grant project will focus on completing the ADA compliant restrooms and the 12-foot-wide walking paths first, and then complete as many additional elements as possible until the estimated $1.9 million available for construction is depleted. The plan for phase two may include a Music area, hammocks in the park, an area for food trucks to park, baseball diamonds, fitness nodes, basketball courts, and pickle ball courts.
The new Facade Grant Program now has dedicated funding of $100,000 from the Auburn Redevelopment Commission. A new life is being fueled into the Program and is currently available. With a renewed dedication to the program, downtown business owners and building owners can apply for a 50% matching grant up to $15,000 for improvements to buildings within Auburn’s historic downtown and the TIF economic Improvement area that are at least 50 years old. The program focuses on the improvement of existing buildings. Eligible expenses include exterior building improvements, exterior lighting, new and/or renovated signs, awnings, historic façade elements, windows and doors, and similar projects. The program also includes a 100% reimbursement of actual architectural or engineering costs associated with façade improvements, not to exceed $2,500. This program aids in preserving our distinct historic designation of our downtown and maintains the charm of these historic buildings.
We were one of 4 communities selected to host the Back to the Bricks Founders Tour in June this year. They brought about 300 cars from Flint, Michigan and across the nation to visit Auburn for two days. We celebrated the visit with a Hippie Market at the James Cultural Plaza, live music, and food trucks. We had over 22 vendors at the Hippie Market and estimated that 3000 people visited Auburn that day.
We started our new Jr. Main Street program last year with DeKalb High School students. We explored various projects, let the students decide what community impact project to focus on, and decided to improve our local parks. We met with the Parks department and determined what would be a good fit. They recognized the need for updated water fountains in all parks and took ownership of this project. The water fountains needed to be updated so that they would be ADA compliant, to be efficient, and accessible to all. They secured a matching grant through CreatINg Spaces with funding from Patronicity and IHCDA. We were able to raise our goal of $17,500 in 30 days to get the match for a total of $35,000 to complete this project. We were able to raise above our goal to put in 12 new water stations in the 5 following Auburn parks: Skate Park, Thomas Park, Smith Park, Memorial Park, Eckhart Park, Rieke Park, Eckhart Park Football Field, near Rieke Park Lodge, Rieke north ball diamond, Rieke south ball diamond.
New this year is Greetings from Auburn, a Hallmark type event with larger than life cards with Sponsorship opportunities. See the last page for more information. We are a 501(c)3 nonprofit whose efforts are made possible by gifts from individuals and families, small business members, and major sponsors. Please consider joining Auburn Main Street's mission is to collaborate with our community to promote, advance, and preserve a vibrant historic downtown- rich in Art and Culture and inviting for all. Please join us in our continued momentum and implementation of our mission in 2024, We are “ All in for All”!
Sincerely, Board of Directors:
Ann Finchum Jessica Griffith | Mike Littlejohn | Austin Macy |Logan Shank
Executive Director Mckenna Clifford | Leslie Friedel | Carrie Mills | Sandra Tamez
Auburn Main Street Mark Burnworth Jr. | Allie Cochran | Jama Smith
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