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Logansport approves temporary closures for Farmers Market construction after business concerns
Summary
The Logansport Board of Public Works and Safety approved street and alley closures to allow construction of the new Market South Farmers Market and adjacent work, after businesses raised concerns about truck access and parking. The closures will restrict public through-traffic and include accommodations for scheduled commercial deliveries.
The Logansport Board of Public Works and Safety voted May 20 to approve street and alley closures to accommodate construction of the Market South Farmers Market and associated site work, including a long-term closure of a Fourth Street alley used as a public thoroughfare.
The board approved the request for Skyborough Construction to close Fourth Street from Market South to the east-west alley and to close the alley from Fourth Street east to Home Care Health Solutions through the end of the year. Deputy Mayor Jacob Ponceau moved to approve the closure; board member Levi Jones seconded and both voted yes.
Business owners who rely on alley access pressed for operational accommodations at a public hearing. Linda Kurtz, owner of a downtown gallery, asked, “What are my semis supposed to do?” and said large delivery trucks currently use the alley several times daily. Stacy English, owner of Hometown Health Solutions, said employees park off the alley behind her business and asked whether closures would be permanent.
Skyborough’s representatives told the board construction traffic will need a continuous area for material deliveries, crane staging and masonry work. They estimated short closures for water-line tie-ins of “a week or two” and said crane erection this summer could require about three weeks of concentrated work. The contractor proposed regulated, scheduled access for commercial deliveries and to open the alley on demand for semis escorted by the site superintendent.
Project staff and contractors said the closures are intended to keep the general public away from open excavations and scaffolding. Contractors said they will place concrete barricades around active tie-in points and will coordinate with businesses to allow scheduled delivery windows from an alternate route behind the State Theater. The board and contractors said businesses will be contacted about specific temporary access plans.
Board members emphasized the closures are to the general public as a thoroughfare and not a permanent abandonment of alley rights. The contractor said the section with the heaviest scaffolding is expected to be most active through August and that the public closure through December is to avoid repeated short-term permits.
The board encouraged the contractor and city staff to coordinate to reduce disruptions, including permitting temporary escorted access for large delivery trucks and signage directing drivers to regulated entry points. Ponceau said the city will work with businesses on short-term and longer-term accommodations and urged contractors to return with a traffic-access plan if businesses raise unresolved issues.
The motion passed 2–0.
