Carol Johnson, Southern Indiana Business Report
WASHINGTON – A vision to take an undeveloped downtown corner in Washington and turn it into an outdoor community space for concerts, festivals and gatherings such as farmers markets was celebrated last Friday in downtown Washington.
The Washington Commons is a $3.1 million public-private project that transformed three-quarters of a city block that was once a parking lot, gas station and auto parts store. City and county leaders along with corporate and nonprofit sponsors gathered with the public for a ribbon-cutting ceremony on Main Street.
“Every great achievement won’t happen without a vision and the dedication of many people,” said Bob Grewe, executive director of Daviess County Economic Development Corporation. “We’re opening new possibilities and a new horizon for our community. People will take note of what Washington and Daviess County have done with this project.”
The Commons was designed to accommodate a multitude of events and includes the German-American Stage for concerts and special events, the TrueScripts Market Pavilion along Main Street, and the Knights of Columbus Event Pavilion east of the lawn seating space in front of the German-American stage.
This past summer and fall, the Commons hosted a weekly farmers market, a first for the city, in the TrueScripts Market Pavilion.
Byron Holtsclaw was a regular vendor, bringing produce from his farm. He said the community has several roadside produce stands, but there had never been a downtown market for growers and vendors to come together in one place.
“The part I liked the best about it was seeing everybody each week,” Holtsclaw said. “We had beekeepers, people who make clothing, soaps and all kinds of baked goods. Because the market was diverse, it benefited a lot of people.”
As the city developed in areas away from downtown, Holtsclaw said people got out of the habit of coming downtown but he sees the Commons as a catalyst for bringing people back to downtown.
Greg Deaves, vice president of Discover Downtown Washington, the city’s Main Street organization, said the downtown is experiencing a resurgence.
“Over the last five years, we’ve seen a sense of energy for bringing people downtown to shop and find entertainment and it’s very nice to see,” said Deaves, who is the sales representative for the Sherwin-Williams store on Main Street.
Deaves recalled seeing many vacant storefronts when he moved to Washington in 1996. Today, there are many signs of revitalization.
Cindy Barber, Community Development Educator and Extension Director with Purdue Extension-Daviess County, said the Commons creates new opportunities for the downtown.
Efforts to revitalize downtown Washington have paid off for the city and Mayor David Rhoads pointed to several examples.
Main Street’s historic movie theater, local shops like Top Notch Boutique, Cherry Ghost Coffee Shop, the Chamber, It’s A Wonderful Life and the county museum are bringing people downtown. Next to the Commons is the new RTC Communications building, expected to open in 2025. The RTC building will include a co-working space and provide business acceleration services.
The initial vision for the project was developed by Bryant Niehoff, when he was director of Daviess County Economic Development, and Rhoads. Rhoads said initially the project was going to cover half a block, but later the project was expanded.
“As you see I think we made a very good choice with the size of the Downtown Commons,” Rhoads said. “Today the Commons is poised to be a crown jewel in our parks department. As we schedule and launch new events, we expect to see thousands of visitors and residents take part in an array of activities that will draw people to Washington and the Daviess County region.”
Other speakers were Tim Jackman of the Knights of Columbus, Nathan Gabhart, founder and chairman of TrueScripts; Dave Stowers, senior financial center manager of German American Bank; Ayla Owens of Tabor Owens Construction Group and Julia Halbig, vice president of economic and community development at Regional Opportunity Initiatives.
Additional supporters of The Commons: TrueRx, NASCO, Williams Bros. Pharmacy, Daviess Community Hospital, Daviess County Community Foundation, Daviess County Economic Development Foundation, Our Community Foundation and city of Washington.