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Redevelopment commission extends $20,431 facade grant for Carnegie Event Center to year-end
Summary
The Fortville Redevelopment Commission voted unanimously to extend a previously approved $20,431 facade-repair grant for the Carnegie Event Center (115 North Main) through the end of the calendar year; owners were told they may reapply for any additional funds under revised program rules.
The Fortville Redevelopment Commission on a unanimous vote extended a previously approved $20,431 facade-repair grant for the Carnegie Event Center at 115 North Main through the end of the calendar year.
Property owners Vassili Makris and Julie Bandy appeared by Zoom to update the commission on construction progress. Makris said the building shell is complete, the basement has been graded and a perimeter drain installed, and the owners are waiting for brick to arrive to replace the current metal exterior. He said roof work will wait until more interior work is finished, probably in the fall.
The extension responds to a request from the owners after staff told them the program’s administration now requires an in-person or virtual check-in because the funds have been reserved for about 2½ years. Staff recommended re-approving and extending the known approved amount of $20,431 through year-end; any request for additional funds would need to follow the updated facade-program guidelines.
“It absolutely will come to fruition,” Makris said, describing the project’s next steps. Owners also told the commission they believed a separate, smaller award of roughly $3,000 had been discussed previously to restore a wood portion of the facade; staff and packet minutes showed $20,431 as the approved amount and flagged ambiguity in earlier records. Staff member Adam told the commission the December 2023 packet and minutes show the recorded approval amount and noted a contingency tied to review by the town attorney and asbestos considerations.
Commissioners said they wanted to protect the allocated funds while ensuring the work proceeds promptly. Under current program rules, facade work must be completed within one year; the extension approved on Tuesday applies to the $20,431 already on record, and owners were told they may submit a new request for any additional work consistent with the revised guidelines.
The commission directed staff to provide the updated facade-program rules to the applicants and recorded that the work covered by the extended award must be completed by the end of the calendar year.
