Next steps

Private and public sector leaders in Portland hope to build on the ideas from the recently completed revitalization plan and work to ensure aspects of the plan are implemented.

Ball State University seniors from the department of urban planning created a revitalization plan for the city during their fall semester. They compiled survey data, in-person interviews and input from a local steering committee to tailor the plan to Portland’s needs. 

Now, the city’s leaders are left to begin implementation of the new suggested improvements. Mayor Randy Geesaman explained that the city still plans to tackle its chronic flooding problem first, but it will also seek out federal and state funding sources to use for revitalizing the city’s downtown. 

“In 2017, we plan to announce plans to address more flooding measures that will help the downtown business district,” Geesaman said. “We are also going through suggested funding sources (from the revitalization plan). Dean Sanders, Bill Bradley, Ami Huffman and I are searching and prioritizing ideas based on funding opportunities.”

In the revitalization plan’s final report, students suggested seeking a variety of grants from Indiana Office of Community and Rural Affairs to help fund a series of projects.

The completed report of the plan calls for a series of short, medium, and long term projects to revitalize areas throughout the city limits. 

Short term plans included adding new signage, or “gateways”, to the four major entrances to the city, developing a theme and logo for the city to create a sense of identity, changing the streetscape by adding new plants and making improvements to crosswalks, and incentivizing facade improvement.

Medium and long term plans included attracting new businesses that address needs of the community that may be currently underserved, creating a cultural loop to encourage residents and visitors to walk through downtown, facilitate the improvement of the upper floors of downtown buildings and remediating brownfield areas.

City council member Janet Powers, who also sat on the steering committee of the revitalization plan, explained that the finalized plan helped look at the city from a different angle. 

“I thought the students did a fantastic job,” Powers said. “They gave a different perspective and presented general ideas of ways to improve the downtown areas.”

Powers also stressed the importance of finding outside funding sources to supplement or completely cover the costs of the improvements. 

She also said it’s important the city follow up and work to implement some aspects of the plan.

“I just don’t want to put it on the shelf,” Powers said. “I don’t want to have paid for something and not move forward on it.”

Portland originally paid $5,193.63 in May to have the plan developed.

Dean Sanders, executive director of the Jay County Chamber of Commerce, explained the strategy for the continuation of the plan’s steering committee.

“I think that the first thing that we’re going to do is reconvene the existing steering committee,” Sanders said. “We’re going to prioritize those projects on the importance of them and the importance of the impact that they’re going to bring to Portland.”

Sanders said that the steering committee will shift over time to include those with existing knowledge of the projects the city is working on at any given time.

“It’s important that we seek the guidance, advice and expertise of those most closely related to the project we’re working on. That way we can get the best results,” Sanders said.

The full report of the finished revitalization plan is available to be viewed by members of the public at Portland City Hall.