Artspace and NIPSCO were present at the historic Warren Building where renovation is currently undergoing to transform the building into a sleek and modern living and working space for artists, shops and restaurants, to present their donation of $25,000 to the Artspace project to help ensure that the project stayed on track for completion.
Along with the check presentation, Artspace was able to announce a planned 2016 date for occupancy.
“We’re here to celebrate the contribution as well as several other individuals who were able to help us out and make this happen,” said President of the Redevelopment Commission Ken Behrendt.
Among those in attendance was Michigan City mayor Ron Meer who expressed his excitement and happiness that the Artspace project has been just one of several development projects currently in motion within Michigan City.
“I look at this like a series of dominos that just keep falling from one project to the next,” said Meer. “There’s more that keeps happening and that’s very exciting.”
First Ward Councilman Richard Murphy commented on how for a company like NIPSCO, this was a natural gesture from them due to their long history with Michigan City.
“NIPSCO has always been a community partner that has been there for us,” said Murphy. “It’s been great to get the word out to the community and let them know that in the timeline of things, we are so close to completion.”
"We put out a call to the community because artistic areas by law could not be funded through tax credits,” said Behrendt. ‘Since I was young, NIPSCO has always been a part of the community and always been a help to the community.”
The presentation finished with the reveal of a banner alongside the building, displaying NIPSCO’s contribution along with the projected 2016 completion date.
“When we first started with this building, there was water damage everywhere, there were trees growing through the building,” said Murphy. “I look at where we’re at now and I see this as an example of how we can do great things and as a community, can come together to improve the quality of life for everyone living downtown.”
“I hope that the community can take away the fact that it takes more than just one entity to contribute to a project like this,” said Behrendt. “It takes hard work, money and dedication from everyone. I hope this sets an example for not just Michigan City, but for the entire country on what can be accomplished by collaboration like this.”