School & Community News

Elwood Beautification Project

The Campaign
The City of Elwood Street Beautification Project
The City of Elwood is looking to enhance the city’s downtown historic district and repair the city’s aging infrastructure.
But this project is more than just a construction and visual enhancement project. It is about creating a sense of community and pride in Elwood.
Over the past decade, the City of Elwood, like many other communities in Indiana, has experienced a decline in its manufacturing and employment base. This, coupled with the increased cost of daily business, makes it difficult to budget funds to replace aging infrastructure let alone build a gathering space or park.
The city has been working hard to find and leverage federal and state funds to help with beautification efforts and lessen the burden to the tax payer. Per grant requirements, the city must match 20 percent of the total project cost, meaning Elwood must raise $220,000 for the $1,091,000 project. To date, the city has received $82,000 towards these efforts.
The current project proposal is Phase III of City’s overall revitalization plan. Phase III will continue the enhancement efforts to South B Street and South A Street from State Road 13 to 18th Street and 16th Street from State Road 28 to South B Street. The design will include new curbs, storm water drainage, sidewalks with brick banding, antique streetlights, street furniture, and street trees to match