Argos Town Council members, members of the Marshall County Regional Stellar Committee, Argos citizens and officials from Plymouth and Marshall County attended the groundbreaking ceremony Wednesday evening for the new Downtown Square in Argos.
The project will create a new gathering space at the corner of Michigan and Walnut Streets.
The park’s concept was created from feedback from the public and town personnel. A central Train Depot restroom building is a nod to Argos’s historic train depot. Visitors to the plaza will enjoy covered seating, a unique entertainment space, a place for downtown patrons to take their lunch to-go and a pleasant environment for residents to come watch local performances from the elevated stage. There will be a row of lounge chairs that look onto a flexible open lawn space that can be used for a variety of activities and events including a farmer’s market. There are also added walks, parking and drives to make the site accessible for pedestrians and vehicles, including a possible food truck location.
The Downtown Square project will be completed by Indiana Earth, Inc. who had a base bid of $998,418.
Mark VanDerWeele, Argos Economic Development Director, welcomed those gathered at the site. He offered thanks to the Stellar Committee, Marshall County Crossroads, the State of Indiana and OCRA. Mark said, “Without these types of program grants, this project would have never been completed. This project came to the town virtually as a concept from that group.”
Mandy Campbell, an Argos resident, member of the County Council, member of the Regional Stellar Committee and County Crossroads Team. Mandy thanked many folks involved in this project. She said, “The Downtown Square will revitalize a blighted area, create green space, connect us with our history and serve as a gathering space to entice citizens downtown.”
The Downtown Square project is part of the Marshall County Regional Stellar Communities Designation Initiative. The Town of Argos received a grant from OCRA that will cover 80% of the cost and the Town of Argos will only be required to provide the 20% local match.
The project is expected to be complete in the spring of 2022.
