Positive steps

REDKEY — The last 10 years have been good, and more good news is on the horizon.

That was the message Redkey Town Council president Doug Stanley delivered this morning in his town update during the Jay County Chamber of Commerce networking breakfast at Redkey Park Cabin.

Stanley, who was joined by fellow town council member Mike Wright, discussed Redkey’s last decade, beginning with a water project that was completed in 2010. It included several thousand feet of new water line and renovation of the water treatment plant.

Updates that have followed have included the construction of the new Redkey Fire Station in 2016 that replaced a turn-of-the-century facility originally designed for a horse and buggy. And the town is currently in the final stages of a sewer separation and wastewater treatment plant project.

“It’s been a good last 10 years,” said Stanley, who along with Wright credited Jay County community developer Ami Huffman’s efforts to acquire grant and loan funding for those projects. “Things have happened in Redkey.”

Stanley also touted an improved downtown atmosphere thanks to a variety of new businesses that have moved in, including a core of antique shops.

He also mentioned Key Palace Theatre and Diner, Lil Bistro, L.A. Pizza and Subs, Blind Tiger coffee shop and a variety of other establishments that have brought life to the downtown area.

“The activity in the downtown has been really exciting,” he said. “I am so happy to see what’s going on down there.

“Where there was almost nothing, now there is something. And the future looks good.”

He also noted that Mid-States Construction has moved into the former MainSource Bank building at the southwest corner of the intersection of Vine (Indiana 67) and Oak Streets and has also purchased land across the highway that includes the former site of Will’s IGA.

Looking toward the future, Stanley said plans call for applying for Community Crossing grant funds to pave some of the town’s streets. There will also be a need to locate problem areas and eliminate storm water from entering the sanitary sewer system now that the separation is substantially complete. And a new water line will be needed along Spencer Street.

The town also recently completed its revitalization plan, which focuses on the area of High Street between Meridian Street (Indiana 1) and Railroad Street. With the plan in place, the next step will be to prioritize projects and try to secure funding to move forward.

“It doesn't take long to talk about 10 years in Redkey,” Stanley joked as he concluded his speech that lasted about 10 minutes, “but we have a lot of possibilities, a lot of good things going on.”