By Ann Craig-Cinnamon
It’s a little behind schedule but Central Green in downtown Fishers is starting to take shape and, according to Tom Dickey, the director of community development, should be finished by early December.
Central Green is the green space from 116th Street to Fishers Town Hall that includes the Liberty Plaza monument that was built a few years ago in honor of veterans and others who are involved in public service such as police and fire.
The Liberty Plaza Task Force was formed by the Fishers Chamber of Commerce and a group of interested citizens that raised half the money necessary to build the monument, with the Town of Fishers kicking in the other half. The original plan included a fountain and other elements that were never completed.
Dickey said he recently met with members of the task force to update them on the town’s new plan for the monument and surrounding area. “I was anxious to get their feedback because we really felt like we wanted the Central Green to respond to and be respectful of the monument that was there,” Dickey said. “It was kind of an anxious meeting for me and when I finished describing the plan to them, they were just really positive and said that it was a lot like the plan they had developed.”
Task force member Pete Pippen said the town’s involvement in the project was important to its success. “We couldn’t have done it otherwise. It wouldn’t have ended up as nice ultimately without their help. We’re more than happy with the way they participated and came across with funds to help us complete it,” he said, adding, “Our main focus was the monument itself. The monument and the brick pavers and the flags was our design. The balance around it was always up to the town.”
Dickey said that Central Green is a multi-use area that will provide space to enjoy Liberty Plaza. “The plaza opens it all up with crosswalks to get over there, new planting areas around the monument and new limestone benches going in near the monument,” he said. “So I think that’s the first thing it does. It makes it a living, breathing feature of the community that you can actually get up to and stand next to and touch it.”
Dickey said there will also be a fountain as part of the monument and charging stations on some of the benches. “One of the things that we look to do in making a decision in Fishers, whether it’s a building decision or design decision on a project, we look at it through the lens of what our strategy is with respect to economic development,” Dickey said. “So as we thought about that park, we thought about creating a space where people want to work and where employers want to move their businesses to and so we thought then that the park ought to be conducive to people hanging out there and working.”
Dickey said the cost of the monument upgrade will be $75,000 to $100,000, with a total price tag of nearly $1 million for the entire Central Green project that includes new parking.
