Wabash council authorizes $1.7M grant application and $300,000 contingent match for Living Well senior center renovation

The Wabash City Council on May 26 approved a resolution authorizing the mayor to submit a Community Development Block Grant application under the Stellar program for renovations to the Living Well senior center and committed a $300,000 local match contingent on receiving the grant.

Connor Heyman, director of Imagine 185, introduced the second public hearing for the project and said it focuses on interior renovations to update office and activity spaces, improve bathrooms for ADA accessibility and modify the facility entrance to remove a curb that restricts wheelchair access. A consultant assisting with the application said the city will apply to the Indiana Office of Community and Rural Affairs for $1,700,000 in grant funds; the total project is estimated at $2 million including the local match.

Council resolution No. 9 authorizes submission of the grant application and commits $300,000 in matching funds, to be provided as $150,000 from Living Well donation funds and $150,000 from the Wabash general fund, contingent upon receiving the grant. City staff indicated plans to submit the application at the end of June.

Several residents, including former board members and current users of the senior center, spoke in favor of the renovations, saying the facility now serves a wider range of ages and activities and that improvements would preserve community programming. One resident urged the council to complete the project before a long‑standing staff member retires.

The resolution passed on a roll call vote; the council then proceeded with other agenda items.