It was a windy evening but that did not halt the Town of Argos, Marshall County Crossroads (“Crossroads”), Indiana Office of Community and Rural Affairs (“OCRA”), and residents from celebrating the ribbon cutting of a Stellar Communities Program (“Stellar”) project this past Saturday.

Crossroads was awarded Stellar in 2019.

Gerry White, Northwest Community Liaison of OCRA stated “one of our goals of the Stellar Communities Program was that regional planning communities worked together. We see that in Crossroads and we are proud of it. Your hard work created a great space for the public to enjoy, a space to hold community events, and create a welcoming area downtown.”

Jon VanderWeele, one of the town liaisons to Crossroads spoke about Crossroads and its generation of growth and positive energy for all involved “people started looking at different things they could do, not only to improve quality of life, but to improve housing, arts, and culture. It’s been a great process for the entire county to go through.”

The Town of Argos, one of the great hometowns of Crossroads, chose the downtown corner of Highway 10 and Michigan Street as one of their main revitalization projects. VanderWeele added “currently, residents and visitors just stop downtown where they need to go and then leave. Our goal was to create green space that enticed people to spend more time and connect downtown.”

Randy Snead, President of the Argos Town Council, announced the official name of the downtown space will be called Nickel Plate Square. This is a nod to the history of Argos and the railroads that crossed through town. Downtown businesses were thanked for their patience during construction and many town employees, along with vendors, were thanked for their hard work on the project.

“This project increases the vibrancy to our downtown and is a visual indicator of our ongoing efforts to strategically grow our community” states Mark Van Der Weele, Argos Economic Development Director. “Families are looking for space and opportunities to connect and our new Nickel Plate Square will provide those opportunities.”

The replica of a train depot sits in Nickel Plate Square. It has two bathrooms and is approximately 800 sq. ft. The property includes external electricity and water around the perimeter to support the town’s monthly food truck events during the summer. The space also includes a staging area for bands and seating with picnic tables. There is greenery and enhanced parking. Public Wi-Fi can also be accessed in the park.

The town will host several events in Nickel Plate Square including Christmas tree lighting and a visit with Santa on Friday, November 25th.

Additional information can be found online at www.townofargos.com and on the town’s social media pages: @TownOfArgos.