DEAR WAYNEDALE READERS
We want to make downtown Fort Wayne a destination place for visitors, current residents and prospective businesses. One way to do that is with our new free downtown WiFi program. There are nearly 15 hotspot locations in an 11 square block area in downtown. The WiFi system is intended for residents, visitors and business people to have Internet access for casual use while enjoying all of the attractions that downtown Fort Wayne has to offer.
Some of the hotspot areas include:
* Headwaters Park
* Freimann Square
* Lawton Park
* Several downtown restaurants
* Allen County Courthouse courtyard
* The new Allen County Public Library
Proactive WiFi capabilities compliment the Downtown Blueprint to promote a vibrant downtown and our Innovation Initiative to deliver excellent services. The WiFi program is a partnership between the City of Fort Wayne and Indiana Data Center. The City is funding the first year of the program. The City will look to public-private partnerships to continue the program in future years.
A streetscape project to improve pedestrian connections between downtown attractions has begun. The project is a recommendation of the Downtown Blueprint to enhance downtown. The new streetscapes will feature decorative sidewalks with brick inlay. Historical-styled streetlights will be added. Additional improvements will include shade trees in iron sidewalk grates, new access ramps, drives and drainage structures as well as sidewalk widening at selected crosswalks.
Another great downtown project is the proposed redesign of the Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial Bridge on Clinton Street near Headwaters Park. The Downtown Blueprint originally identified the bridge project. A committee of community leaders has selected two options they feel best represent how the bridge could serve as a new signature gateway to downtown. Please go to www.cityoffortwayne.org to cast your vote for the bridge option you prefer. Actual construction will not begin for several more years.
Investing in downtown will make our community more competitive for business and job growth. Investors and developers are looking to downtown because of excellent housing, job creation, business investment, and retail opportunities. There is not a single silver bullet for a revitalized downtown. It is a process of continued growth and momentum to move forward. Vibrant downtowns are the heart of livable, competitive regions. Downtown is everybody’s neighborhood and represents an enormous opportunity for our future.
Graham Richard
Mayor
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