Fountain Square dedicates new fountain

INDIANAPOLIS (March 12, 2010) – Fountain Square officials, neighborhood residents, business owners and friends gathered today to dedicate the new Lady Spray fountain at the intersection of Virginia Avenue, Prospect Street and Shelby Street.

Mark Stewart, of Southeast Neighborhood Development (SEND), and Brian Payne of Central Indiana Community Foundation spoke briefly about this important neighborhood project. Reverend Glenn L. O'Connor, 2010 Irish Citizen of the year, delivered a blessing. Elaine Cates, a long-time Fountain Square resident and President Emeritus of Friends & FACT Neighborhood Association, flipped the switch that activated Lady Spray for the season.

Indy's official leprechaun, Michael McCrackin, poured green dye into the fountain in anticipation of tomorrow’s Shamrock Run/Walk that routes through Fountain Square and Fletcher Place. The event, is part of St. Patrick’s Day festivities staged by the Indy Sports Foundation, brings thousands of participants from Monument Circle, past St. Patrick’s Church and down St. Patrick Street, and then around the fountain and back up Virginia Avenue to Monument Circle.

Linkel Company of Batesville completed the $650,000 first phase of construction during the fall and winter of 2009. SEND, the Fountain Square Merchants Association, and others worked for 15 years to make the improvements a reality. In 2003, the project received a $500,000 Federal Transportation Enhancement grant through the Indiana Department of Transportation (INDOT) to begin a two-phase project to replace the fountain and rework the intersection and public space in the center of Fountain Square.

Green 3, a Fountain Square landscape architecture firm, NINebark, Inc. and R.W. Armstrong designed the project. It is managed through SEND’s Fountain Square Main Street Program, part of the LISC Indianapolis FOCUS Program.

The neighborhood will now concentrate efforts on completing a second phase of intersection improvements, creation of a public plaza with a new fountain for the Pioneer Family sculpture, and general streetscape improvements including pavements, street lighting, safety signal upgrades and signage. Phase 2 will create the terminus to the Cultural Trail in Fountain Square.

About Fountain Square
Fountain Square is an historic commercial and residential neighborhood located south east of downtown Indianapolis. The district blends retro and new art influences in its architecture and the unique collection of art galleries, independent restaurants, local retailers, antique shops and one-of-a-kind entertainment destinations. The Fountain Square Main Street Program, part of the Indianapolis FOCUS (Fostering Commercial Urban Strategies) Initiative, is a program of Southeast Neighborhood Development (SEND). The Fountain Square Cultural District is part of the Indianapolis Cultural Districts Initiative, and SEND serves as the lead organization in Fountain Square.

About SEND
SEND is a non-profit community development corporation created by residents to revitalize the near southeast side of Indianapolis and to enhance the quality of life of its diverse spectrum of residents.

http://www.DiscoverFountainSquare.com
http://www.sendcdc.org
http://www.focusindy.com
http://www.culturalindy.com