Dunkirk falls short of Stellar

INDIANAPOLIS — Dunkirk’s dream projects will have to wait.
During an event at the Indiana State Fair today, local officials learned the city did not receive the Stellar Communities designation.
“I’m devastated,” said Dunkirk Mayor Dan Watson. “I don’t know what else to say. I didn’t see it coming at all. I thought we were a shoo-in.
“It’s just a shame because there’s been so much community involvement and community participation and everyone has worked so hard.
“It definitely was a shock to us. I just didn’t see it coming at all.”
North Liberty, located southwest of South Bend in St. Joseph County, got the nod over Dunkirk in the division for communities with a population of 6,000 or fewer.
Crawfordsville was selected as the Stellar winner in the large-city division, beating out Decatur and Marion.
The designation and the funding that comes along with it would have allowed Dunkirk to complete several major projects, most notably moving the library and glass museum to the Stewart Brothers building downtown and constructing a senior housing facility. Also included were downtown lighting with Safe Routes to School, as well as a variety of complementary projects.
Throughout the Stellar process this year — Dunkirk’s third attempt at the designation and first time making the finalist list — the city has focused on its “do-it-yourself” attitude.
Its application emphasized the efforts of the city, Dunkirk Industrial Development Corporation and Dunkirk Investment Group, as well as the fact that all of the projects involved are ready to begin. The city already has site control for the properties involved and has completed environmental evaluations.
Watson noted repeatedly that Dunkirk had done a lot on its own — working toward rehabbing the Stewart Brothers and Depot buildings, separating sewers and completing renovations to its water and wastewater treatment plants — and was in need of some help to take the next steps.
“There’s a lot of good things I think that are happening,” he said when the city turned in its application in March. “And if we could just get a break and get one of these major programs going, I think we could start seeing some positive change. We just need that one break.”
In its final plan, Dunkirk sought $5.18 million in tax credits from Indiana Housing and Community Development Authority for the Crown Crossing Senior Housing Development, $2.06 million from Indiana Department of Transportation for lighting and safe routes and $1.84 million from the Indiana Office of Community and Rural Affairs to renovate the Stewart Brothers building.
Crown Crossing Senior Housing Development, which the city has been working toward with Buckeye Community Hope Foundation of Columbus, Ohio, would be built on the west side of Main Street between the railroad tracks and Center Street. The facility was proposed to have 28 housing units, a courtyard, kitchen, social hall, library, laundry room, computer room and administrative office space.
The proposal included continued renovation of the Stewart Brothers building to allow the library and glass museum to move there from their current site on Washington Street. Safe Routes to school are planned to connect West Jay Middle School, Westlawn Elementary, Dunkirk City Park and West Jay Community Center.
The complementary projects in the final proposal included a “Message in a Bottle” tourist attraction to highlight the city’s ties to the glass industry, a pedestrian trail along Highland Avenue, downtown wifi connectivity, demolition of the current library/glass museum and a mural on the Weaver building. Those projects would be completed with local funding.
Dunkirk was announced as a Stellar finalist in April and turned in its final plan in June. A group of state officials visited the city July 30 for a final evaluation.
Jay County is the only county to have had two different cities named finalists for the designation with Dunkirk this year and Portland in 2011. Previous Stellar winners were Huntingburg and Wabash last year, Bedford and Richmond in 2013, Princeton and Delphi in 2012 and Greencastle and North Vernon in 2011.