Cicero’s Red Bridge Park was the site of an event Saturday morning that was the culmination of nearly two years of work by Cicero Parks Superintendent Charlie Cambre. The recently completed pier at Red Bridge Park is now officially open to the public.
“I came up with the idea in 2015,” Cambre told The Reporter. “By 2016 the grant had come about through the Lieutenant Governor’s office.”
The Town of Cicero was awarded a $50,000 Place Based Investment Fund (PBIF) grant through the Indiana Office of Community and Rural Affairs (OCRA) and the Indiana Office of Tourism Development (IOTD) August 2016 for the project. PBIF is a partner program developed by OCRA and IOTD as a competitive matching grant program to support community and economic development projects across the state.
The pier will have multiple uses for the community.
“It is primarily a fishing pier, but it will be an entertainment and educational pier as well,” Cambre said.
Cicero Town Council Member Rusty Miller serves as the liaison to the parks department.
“I report everything to the council and work closely with Charlie on everything,” Miller said.
Miller stressed that Cambre does all the work, reports to Miller, and they both answer to the council.
“Charlie is extremely good with his budget,” Miller told The Reporter. “Charlie is just perfect with projects like these. With the pier, he found most of the money then came to the council for help.”
Miller said the council is a big supporter of enhancing the local parks.
According to Cambre, in the near future, the Coast Guard will give demonstrations and the Department of Natural Resources will be at the pier to talk about boating safety. Thus, this pier will serve an educational purpose for Hamilton County, in addition to its entertainment value.
“We hope to have weddings on it and we want to see bands out there,” Miller said. “OCRA wanted us to rent the pier so we could maintain it and pay for upkeep. Our goal is to put up a pavilion also.”
When not serving as a venue for private events or education, the pier is available as public fishing pier, which is the primary reason it was constructed.
At the dedication ceremony, several local leaders were on hand to speak about the benefits of this new addition to Red Bridge Park. Speakers included State Senator Jim Buck, State Representative Tony Cook, Deputy Director of OCRA Matthew Crouch, County Commissioner Mark Heirbrandt and Cambre himself.
“The Town of Cicero believes that the Pier will generate new community and economic development opportunities for the community and provide a great investment into the future of Cicero and we are very proud of this investment and project,” said Cicero Town Council President Chad Amos.
The $125,000 total investment for the Pier was possible with the funding through PBIF and contributions by the Town of Cicero, the Cicero Parks Department, Cicero Friends of the Park, and Hamilton County Tourism. The pier will be utilized as a gathering space for educational programming, recreational opportunities and an entertainment venue. Additional partners for the project includes Our Town Cicero and Hamilton Heights High School.
“The planning for this project began nearly two years ago and it would not be possible without all of the partners and supporters who have been involved and who have committed either financially or through volunteer labor and services,” said Parks Superintendent Charlie Cambre. “We believe that the Pier will be a great addition to Red Bridge Park and for the entire Cicero community.”
The dedication was followed by a free kids’ fishing event, lunch provided by R.A.M., La Cascada and Dave’s Famous Barbeque and “Music on the Pier” with the Deep Soul Band.
Photos provided / Photos by 4th Hawk Consulting