PENDLETON — The Town of Pendleton opened bids on a project that includes restoring five downtown facades, an effort pursued by the town and several organizations and funded largely through $500,000 in state funds.
The town received two bids for the work, one for $391,260 from Rencon Services in Pendleton, and another for $624,000 from Pridemark Construction in Muncie.
Bids will be presented to the Town of Pendleton today, Thursday, May 10, during its regularly scheduled meeting, at 6 p.m. at town hall, 100 W. State St. Town manager Tim McClintick is expected to present a recommendation on the bid, and the council is expected to vote on the final selection, Assistant Planning Director Rachel Christenson said.
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A preconstruction meeting is set for early June, Christenson said, and work is expected to begin shortly thereafter.
Indiana’s Office of Community and Rural Affairs (OCRA) awarded Pendleton a $500,000 Indiana Main Street Revitalization Program grant late last year. It is designed to improve the town’s streetscape by upgrading infrastructure and providing local businesses with exterior facade renovations
The project includes refurbishing the exterior of five buildings: the J.T. Chambers Building, 101 E. State St.; The Pendleton Shoppe, 106 N. Pendleton Ave.; Burmeister’s Old Towne Antiques, 130 W. State St.; Gallery 119, 119 W. State St.; and the Galleria Shoppes, 114 W. State St.
Funds also will pay for wayfinding signage and the installation of speakers and public address systems in the downtown commercial district.
The town is working with several local organizations on the project, including Main Street Pendleton, Historic Fall Creek, Pendleton Settlement, the South Madison Community Foundation and the Pendleton Artists Society.
The state funds represent about 75 percent of the project costs. Participating building owners contributed $133,674, and Pendleton is paying $14,214.
Main Street Pendleton was instrumental in obtaining the funds, Christenson said. Having a Main Street organization was required to apply for the grant, as it was for obtaining an earlier $40,000 OCRA grant for the town’s 2015 downtown revitalization plan. That plan recommended facade improvement, and the five facades that are part of this summer’s work were taken from the plan.
Other contributors to the facade project include Historic Pendleton Fall Creek Settlement and Pendleton Historic Preservation Commission, both of which contributed matching funds.
South Madison Community Foundation contributed $39,887.
