Dunkirk, get ready for a close-up

Ready for your close-up, Dunkirk?
The State of Indiana is ready and will be in town this week to check things out.
Dunkirk is one of two small-city finalists in the Stellar Communities program through the Office of Community and Rural Affairs and other state agencies. As such, it’s on the threshold of great things.
Anyone who has watched Dunkirk closely over the past several years knows that “stellar community” is a term that already applies.
Faced with the closing of Indiana Glass Company, one of the city’s two largest employers, Dunkirk has refused to simply roll over and die. City and civic leaders have been relentless in their focus on building a new, exciting future while still preserving the best of Dunkirk’s past.
What are we talking about?
•We’re talking about Dunkirk Investment Group (DIG), a handful of Jay County individuals who have put their money into rescuing, restoring and preserving key parts of Dunkirk’s downtown, including the historic Todd Opera House building.
•We’re talking about a commitment by city government, Dunkirk Industrial Development Corporation and county government to acquire and preserve the former Stewart Brothers Furniture building as a future home for Dunkirk Public Library.
•We’re talking about the restoration and preservation of the historic passenger rail depot.
•We’re talking about an aggressive program to address blighted properties in residential neighborhoods.
•We’re talking about endless hours of planning sessions, meeting upon meeting by volunteer groups like the Dunkirk Beautification Committee and others.
•And we’re talking about the plan that has been put together with the aid of dozens of Dunkirk citizens and Jay County Development Corporation.
It’s a plan that would preserve the historic Gas Boom heritage of the city while providing a new home for the library and The Glass Museum, that would involve extensive beautification of the downtown, that would provide senior housing and make it possible for some of Dunkirk’s finest residents to continue to call the city home. There are so many high points and so many well-thought-out interlocking ideas in the plan that it’s hard to know where to start.
And now, on Thursday, it’s time for a close-up visit. Though Lt. Gov. Sue Ellspermann has visited Dunkirk twice in the past year or so, the rest of the officials who will make the final decision are coming to town.
They will be greeted by plenty of official hospitality, but sometimes it’s the unofficial touches that make the difference: A smile, a wave, a moment or two of engagement.
Let’s make this close-up one they will remember. — J.R.