Continuously serving Kosciusko County since 1854
MILFORD - The final draft of the Covid-19 Economic Recovery Plan was presented to the Milford Town Council during a public hearing at the start of their meeting Monday.
Zach Dripps, of Michiana Area Council of Governments, the grant administrator for the town, gave a brief background, stating that on June 21, 2024, the town applied for a Community Development Block Grant through the Office of Community Rural Affairs and the Hoosier Enduring Legacy Program. Dripps said the town was notified July 15, 2024, that they received $50,000 in CDBG grant, which he said was the maximum amount.
“This is a strategic plan and roadmap to revitalize the local economy in the aftermath of the Covid-19 pandemic,” he said.
Dripps said it was a three-prong approach — to support the community and local business, enhance quality of place and attract visitors and investments. He said the town provided $20,000 in matching American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) funds and the town met the low- to moderate-income requirements because 54.3% of residents in the area fall in that category.
Joshua Frerichs, Beth Johnson and David Frakes with USI Consultants were present as was Christian Vetter with Vetter Consulting Enterprises. Vetter hit the highlights of the data in the report. He said Milford had three things going for them - the population is growing, the household size is growing and they have a high number of people in town during the day who work in Milford.
Vetter shared some development opportunities including housing. Vetter said the town is missing entry-level housing for those who are single or married without kids who don’t want a backyard to care for, so they’d prefer a condo or row housing. He said the same for the other end of the spectrum, what he called “sophisticated living” - empty nesters who want to downsize and don’t want to have to take care of a property and want to stay in Milford. He said developing condominiums or row houses or downtown living enhances the downtown. When people are living downtown, people want to invest in downtown.
Vetter said potential commercial development could be restaurants and cafes. He said, “Households spend more money on dining out than the existing restaurants absorb.”
Other than residents, potential markets are those 5-15 minutes away and the third market are those who work in town and are looking for a place to grab a quick lunch. It could also be an opportunity for an existing business to operate a food truck and take it out to businesses or schools. He suggested retail development could be tougher as Warsaw is right down the road and the town probably wouldn’t attract a big chain. He suggested one possibility is a food co-op grocery store, operating out of the new food bank building. He said a food co-op is “rooted in the local community — anyone in the community can be owners, it’s small, community-run and the community has a stake in it.”
Food co-ops also bring people in from outside and they could partner with local farmers for fresh produce, offer cooking classes and expand it to a café.
For entertainment, he suggested a downtown plaza with a small park and possibly a splash pad that could transform into an ice-skating rink in the winter and a place to hold a Christmas market — a place to bring people and the community together. It could also be an ice cream parlor.
Vetter said they weren’t suggesting bringing in a big condo building or a national chain because that wouldn’t work in Milford and they don’t want to change the character of the community. He said they made suggestions “based on the communities wants and needs without changing the character of the community.”
Frerichs stated he made a few minor changes based on calls he received from Clerk-Treasurer Tricia Gall and Councilman Ken Long. He pointed out the community’s perception of downtown, saying there were two positive comments and six negative. He said people tend to comment more negatively on such surveys. The positive comments included pride in the small-town charm and value in personal relationships with local business. A couple of the negative comments included stating that the downtown needs a facelift, especially compared to neighboring communities that have undertaken façade and streetscape improvements, and empty storefronts makes downtown feel emptier. He said he wanted to mention it because, “The way people perceive a community is hard to shake” and he told them they should be aware they might run up against these perceptions as they start to implement changes.
He pointed out one section of the plan laid out action steps such as — investing in streetscape improvements along Main Street, launching a “Mentor Milford” program, partnering with a local artisan or art students to design façade improvements and more. He said each of the action steps is tied to one of the five broader themes to revitalize the downtown and support long term recovery. Those five themes are: community events and engagements, like Food Truck Fridays; economic growth and business development — pop-up retail opportunities, façade grants and more to fill vacant storefronts; park, recreation and public spaces — investments in public spaces such as the Waubee Lake Trail Connection, downtown pavilion to create a hub for year-round activity; infrastructure and accessibility — sidewalk repairs, pedestrian crossings, lighting, etc. and housing and residential growth — encouraging upper story residential conversions to support walkable living options while preserving the existing neighborhood character.
Council members had no questions and President Doug Ruch thanked them for their hard work. Later the council approved the plan.
Several residents brought concerns to the council, including Lamar Bost, owner of G & L Milford Self Storage, who said he wants to purchase a parcel of land that is 1.8 acres on the south side of the new overpass — 1300 North — to put in storage buildings including outside storage. However, he said there are some zoning issues. He contacted Matt Sandy at the Kosciusko County Area Plan Commission who sent him to the state and the state sent him back to town as 1300 North belongs to the town. He said he spoke to Steve Marquart, who thought his driveway plan was okay. But he needs a variance to put a fence on the property line and a variance for setbacks on the property and an exemption so he wouldn’t need to put up screening. Council members had a few questions but ultimately supported his requests and would send a letter of support to the county stating they have no objections.
Another resident needing an exemption was Star Smith, operating Whisk and Spoon Bakery out of her home, starting it when she lost her job. She’s since started working full-time again but wants to continue operating the bakery and needs an exemption. She has a zoning hearing on Aug. 11. The council also agreed to send a letter on her behalf.
Debra Hill, a fairly new resident of Milford, brought concerns about her neighbor’s aggressive dog, who bit her and another lady on July 1. She wanted the town to enforce the dangerous dog ordinance, which would require them to post signs, get additional homeowner’s insurance and she said she was “terrified of the dog” and concerned for her grandchild and other nearby children. Town attorney Jay Rigdon said she had a civil case, too, but she indicated she didn’t necessarily want to go that route. Town Marshal Thomas Waikel said one of his officers discussed the ordinance with the dog’s owner and informed them they needed to get a license, and they now have 48 hours to do so if they want to keep the dog.
Ron Baumgartner also spoke to the council, asking about updates to some projects they had previously discussed.
In other business, the council:
• Received an update on the water project from Ryan LaReau of Commonwealth Engineers.
• Approved a change order, which was a deduct of $5,758.80 due to meters that they’ve been unable to install.
• Approved partial pay application #7 in the amount of $47,904.15 to Neptune Equipment and heard it was the final pay application on the project.
• Approved paying Sweetheimer for the third quarter trash removal in the amount of $16,070.40, which is a 3% increase.
• Approved utility credits in the amount of $1,266.98, most of which was one credit for a leak in a vacant apartment.
• Heard painting of roads is underway so residents should be aware of street employees working in the roadway.
• Heard hydrant flushing is planned for July 16-17 (weather permitting) so some rust may be visible in the water.
• Approved conference attendance for Gall.
