Since the opening of Grand Park in Westfield, there was no doubt that traffic in the northwest parts of Hamilton County has increased. The Town of Sheridan is well aware of increased traffic into, out of, and around the town.
The Sheridan Coalition, after hosting an Active Living Workshop in partnership with Purdue University and Health by Design, realized the need for community identity. Commissioner Mark Heirbrandt, as a part of this coalition, along with Town Council President and Coalition member David Kinkead, and the Coalition determined the need for town identity.
After speaking with Kinkead, Heirbrandt said it became obvious there was a need to build an identity for Sheridan. There was no evidence of the thriving town existing if you were just driving along the highway.
To Heirbrandt, the solution was high quality signage at the entries of the town that would be made of concrete and brick. Commissioner Heirbrandt and Kinkead knew it was going to be an expensive project, so they turned to Gloria Del Greco at the Sheridan Coalition Group and the Sheridan community for support.
“Heirbrandt initially put up $500 dollars for a contest: Community members could enter their designs and ideas for what they wanted the sign to look like,” Kinkead said. “After receiving dozens of entries, the committee, made up of community members, led by Linda Williams, came to a decision on the final design.”
“We had nearly 30 participants, and the winner, Parvin Gillum, actually decided to donate the money back towards the cost of the installation of the signs,” Heirbrandt said.
It was truly a community effort. Del Greco and the Sheridan Coalition Group worked with the Town of Sheridan to decide on the locations of the two signs, ultimately being on the town limits. The proposed property for the east sign was owned by the Town of Sheridan and the west entrance sign property was donated by Craig Wallace from Wallace Farms.
The Sheridan Coalition Group sold bricks that would be engraved and included in the sign structures. The concrete was donated by Beaver Materials and the foundations poured by Baker Construction. RQAW donated its time to engineer the signs to ensure they would last for decades. Dan Haines Masonry and Caulking offered discounted rates to install the signs.
“This gave us an identity in Hamilton County, and really included our entire community throughout the process,” Kinkead said. “We are proud of this meaningful and professional welcome sign that truly represents our town.”
“This is truly a collaborative effort by many in the community to make this happen,” Del Greco said. “We are proud to be a part of making this happen for the Sheridan community.”