What is the Legacy Fund? • New project on South Calhoun Street • Cinema Center film on national identity
Hey Locals,
Following recent changes to the City's Legacy Fund and new projects getting approvals, we're looking into what the fund is, what it's supported so far, and how it's changing. Stay tuned for our report in Thursday's Above the Fold newsletter.
In Briefs, we fill you in on a viral video of an FWPD arrest last weekend that has launched an internal investigation and placed two officers on restrictive duty. We also have info on City Council's proposal to pause data center developments, and we share plans for a historic renovation project happening on South Calhoun Street to bring more residents and businesses to the area.
In our To Do List, we have dance parties, book clubs, and an interesting documentary film event at Cinema Center, highlighting candid conversations about the nation's ever-evolving identity.
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NOTE: Links to Journal Gazette articles are marked(*) and may be behind a paywall.
What is the Legacy Fund?
And how is it changing?
What's happening?
Last week, City Council voted 7-1* to approve $1M in funding from the Fort Wayne Legacy Fund for Victory Gardens, a residential development in Southeast Fort Wayne.
- The 74-home project will be funded in partnership with various entities, like Habitat for Humanity, Fort Wayne Housing Authority, and Realtist Association of Northeast Indiana.
- The project seeks to expand access to homeownership and signal market confidence in Southeast Fort Wayne, according to a statement from the City.
It’s worth noting: Council’s Legacy Fund approval for Victory Gardens comes months after Council changed the fund’s review process. It also previously paused disbursements* to help bolster the fund’s reserves.
So what exactly is the Legacy Fund? How did it originate? What types of projects has it funded so far? And how can it remain sustainable for generations to come?
Stay tuned for our report on Thursday – for subscribers only – where we’ll dive into these questions and more.
- A viral video of an FWPD arrest last weekend is raising concerns about the department’s use of force. According to reports, the incident started with a vehicle driving with its lights off near Lafayette and Petit shortly after midnight on Friday. When officers attempted to pull the vehicle over, it drove through a red light northbound until the male driver reached Dewald and Barr Street, got out, and ran away on foot. His vehicle rolled backward into a police vehicle, and multiple officers detained the man, which was filmed by an onlooker and captured attention on social media. In the video, the driver, later identified as Rahiem Kubisty, 45, of Fort Wayne, is shown being held on the ground by multiple officers while repeatedly saying, “I can’t breathe." Kubisty was taken to Lutheran Hospital before being detained in the Allen County Jail. FWPD Chief P.J. Smith says two officers have been placed on restrictive duty while an internal investigation into the incident is ongoing. Smith tells WPTA 21 the FWPD “intends to release all available video when the investigation is complete, including body camera footage.”
- City Council Rep. Rohli Booker (D-6) introduced legislation seeking to halt data center projects for a year and create a commission to examine future developments. Booker clarified that her proposal would only restrict Council’s actions on data centers (like approving zoning changes and tax abatements); city economic development and planning officials could still work with companies interested in Fort Wayne. The legislation would also not affect Google ongoing data center project in Booker’s district. It seeks to create a nine-member Fort Wayne Community Infrastructure & Environmental Review Commission, including four members appointed by Mayor Sharon Tucker, four appointed by Council, and a ninth member chosen by a majority vote among the other eight members. Council gave the legislation unanimous initial approval.*
- Related: Despite pushback at a public hearing, the Indiana Department of Environmental Management (IDEM) approved a request by the Google Data Center to fill more protected wetlands. The most recent grant allowed the developers, Hatchworks, LLC, to fill an additional 2.13 acres of protected wetlands for the construction of three buildings. IDEM put several stipulations on the approval, including that Hatchworks must purchase 4.26 acres of forested wetland mitigation credits; however, several residents who attended a virtual public hearing about the proposal said the Indiana Department of Natural Resources’ wetland mitigation program is ineffective and out of compliance. The Indiana Capital Chronicle reports that “many of the projects supposed to offset wetland disruption have stalled since the program’s launch in 2018.” IDEM responded to this claim in their approval, available to read online, which says: “mitigation work is completed before credits are sold, helping ensure that ecological benefits are delivered as required.”
- ARCH Inc. is renovating several historic storefronts along South Calhoun Street into apartments and commercial spaces for art galleries, restaurants, and more. Last week, ARCH’s Development Director Karen Richards led The JG* on a tour of the buildings at 1902, 1908, and 1912 S. Calhoun St. and 121 W. Masterson Ave., which the historic preservation organization received as a donation. “The block was originally built as four separate buildings, but now the storefronts are connected,” The JG reports. ARCH says it will consult architecture firms to create plans that will meet the demands of potential residents and businesses while maintaining the buildings’ historic features. The project is estimated to cost at least $4M and be funded through various government grants and private donations, modeled after ARCH’s similarly restored buildings in the 1000 block of Broadway.
- City Council approved two contracts for the City to use traffic detection cameras, which traffic engineers say are not connected to Flock or law enforcement.* Council approved a $185,000 contract with Miovision for traffic detection cameras at 13 intersections and a similar $157,000 contract with Currux Vision Traffic Detection for six intersections. City traffic engineers assured Council the cameras — which count vehicles, bicycles, and pedestrians at intersections and photograph the license plates of vehicles that run red lights — are different from Flock cameras in a few key ways: 1) they capture grainy footage, as opposed detailed images, and 2) they only share data with the City’s traffic engineering and operations, where it is stored for six to eight days before being deleted. For comparison, the FWPD’s failed Flock Safety contract would have stored data for 180 days and made it accessible to more than 2,000 police departments across the U.S.
- The Pufferbelly Trail Bridge is facing delays due to “unexpectedly high” construction costs. Last week, the City’s Greenways Manager Dawn Ritchie told WANE 15 the City received three bids for the Vann Family Bridge, and the lowest was still $2.5M higher than the engineer’s estimated $9M budget. Ritchie attributes the difference to rising steel and concrete prices and says the City is “working on securing additional funding from additional sources” in addition to the $5M gift from Jim Vann and the Vann Family Foundation. While sewer work has begun on the property, the City says it will delay the rest of the project until funds are raised. The bridge was originally expected to open in late 2027.
What else? An Anchor Resource Center op-ed, school board changes, and more. We share additional briefs for paid subscribers only!
Extra! Extra! A couple more briefs for paid members only:
- The Southwest Allen County School Board is making headlines for reconsidering its conflict-of-interest rules for board membership. The JG* reports that the discussion is receiving pushback from some board members and a district resident who believe “the revisions could harm decision-making and public trust.”
- Local artist and Dolly Parton fan, Grace Yencer, helped the Allen County Public Library receive $5,656 and about 200 registrations for Parton’s Imagination Library. Following Parton’s recent death, Yencer began selling prints of her Parton-inspired artwork for $31 – the average price per year to send one child a book every month. All proceeds went to the local library program, WANE 15 reports.
- As Chair of the City’s Anchor Resource Center Board, Meg Distler published an op-ed in The JG,* saying the project “will happen” despite City Council’s recent vote against its proposed location Downtown. “Our team and our plan are poised and ready,” Distler writes. “The only missing component is location, and we have been actively evaluating and pursuing several options.” She notes that she has spent the past 32 years leading the St. Joseph Community Health Foundation, and she is “confident in the need for the resource center, as well as the operational strategy, core measurements and potential impact.”
- Dance: like nobody’s watching, at Promenade Park with Ecstatic Dance – a free, all-ages therapeutic dance movement event – with a DJ on Sept. 18 at 6:30 p.m.
- Watch: The Work in Progress, a documentary highlighting candid conversations about America’s ever-evolving identity, at Cinema Center on Sept. 17 at 7 p.m., followed by a post-film panel discussion with author activists Ann Larson, Bill Fletcher, Jr., and global labor attorney Stan Gacek. ($12)
- Shop: the Heritage 'Good Ol' Day's' Vintage Market at the Allen County Fairgrounds on Sept. 19, 10 a.m. - 4 p.m., for antiques, fall decor, and handmade goods from more than 150 vendors.
- Walk: back in time to 1842 at the Johnny Appleseed Festival Sept. 19-20, at Johnny Appleseed Park, with free parking and shuttle service at PFW.
- Celebrate: the lifecycle of monarch butterflies at the Monarch Festival at Eagle Marsh on Sept. 20, 11 a.m. - 3 p.m., featuring live Monarch displays, butterfly tagging, and free milkweed. ($3)
- Re-read: your Sarah J. Mass books in preparation for A Court of Kekionga Trivia with Sunbound Books – a romantasy-themed trivia night at Kekionga Craft. Co on Sept. 18 at 7 p.m. with books and merch for sale.
What else? Wildlife photography, new ice cream shops to try, and more. We share additional briefs for paid subscribers only!
Extra! Extra! Even more things To Do for paid members only:
- Learn: the basics of nature and wildlife photography with Wandering James at LC Nature Park on Sept. 19 at 9 a.m. No experience required – bring your own DSLR or use your phone camera. ($20)
- Laugh: with comedian Leanne Morgan at The Embassy on Sept. 20 at 7 p.m. ($100)
- Try: ice cream at the Frozen Spoon in Leo-Cedarville, which offers several unique brands of premium hand-dipped ice cream with outdoor seating.
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Have a great week, Locals!
-Your Editor, Kara Hackett
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