BROWNSTOWN
The bids are in from companies interested in constructing the Heritage Park stage in a green space on the courthouse square.
The quotes announced during a recent town council meeting came from Miracle Recreation Equipment Co. of Monett, Missouri, $85,175; Natural Structures of Baker City, Oregon, $74,859; and Recreation Unlimited of Noblesville, $83,100 for one option and $86,720 for another.
While the five town council members will make the final decision on which company to go with, they agreed to receive input from the nine-member Heritage Park committee. That board meets tonight and will discuss which option it likes best.
As soon as the council awards the bid, work on the stage would begin soon thereafter.
Each of the companies is capable of constructing the prefabricated steel structure that will be placed on a 40-foot-by-40-foot brick and concrete foundation. Originally, the stage was going to be 50-by-50, but the size changed for engineering purposes, Clerk-Treasurer David Willey said.
The stage roof will be metal and have a cupola to match the look of the nearby Brownstown Public Library and Jackson County Courthouse.
Carl Shake, owner of Brownstown Electric Supply Co., has found someone to do the foundation work, council President John Nolting said.
The stage will be situated in the northwest corner of the 0.45-acre lot at 121 E. Walnut St., facing the courthouse.
The town purchased that property in 2014 for $45,000. A $155,000 federal grant helped pay for the purchase and the $64,562 cost to demolish the two feed mill buildings and a silo.
The Heritage Park committee sought feedback from the community for potential uses of the site. The idea of an open-air, permanent concrete stage and green space for community events came from the Columbus City Band, which does an annual show out in the open on the courthouse lawn.
With the stage, the band could play under a shelter. Then other events could be conducted there throughout the year.
Willey said there won’t be any charges to use the facility, but people might have the opportunity to reserve the space.
Plans for building the park were delayed last year after the town was unsuccessful in bids to secure grant money. But a committee of local residents has been able to raise about $20,000 in donations on its own, and the project also received a $5,000 Community Impact grant from the Community Foundation of Jackson County.
Then earlier this year, the community was one of seven in Indiana chosen to receive a Place Based Investment grant from the state. Brownstown received $50,000 to begin developing Heritage Park.
The grant comes from a partnership between the Indiana Office of Tourism Development and the Indiana Office of Community and Rural Affairs, both overseen by former Lt. Gov. Sue Ellspermann. Town officials recently signed the grant acceptance paperwork and sent that back to state officials.
Once the stage is constructed, restrooms, a storage area, pillars, landscaping and sidewalks will be added as money becomes available.
Brownstown Electric Supply Co. has donated electricity and light poles for the park. The company is donating the supplies, and Shake has local contractors volunteering to do the labor.
Two pieces of property next to the park are for sale, and the town council has discussed the possibility of purchasing those lots.
But the town currently doesn’t have $40,000 to purchase those lots, and grant money can’t be used for that purpose.
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To contribute to the Brownstown Heritage Park Fund, visit the Community Foundation of Jackson County, 107 Community Drive, Seymour, or call 812-523-4483.
Checks also can be mailed to the foundation at P.O. Box 1231, Seymour, IN 47274. Checks should be made payable to “Community Foundation of Jackson County” with “Brownstown Heritage Park Fund” written in the memo.
Anyone interested in volunteering labor once work begins on the park can call Brownstown Town Hall at 812-358-5500.
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