At its recent meeting, the Noblesville Downtown District Committee celebrated being named the Arts Patron of the Year recipient at the annual Nickel Plate Art Awards. These awards recognize members of the community who show outstanding leadership and vision in the support, promotion and provision of creativity in the community.
“The winner exemplifies the concept that art makes our entire community stronger and is good for business. An established figure in our arts community, as well as our business community, those of us seeking to improve our artistic culture look to this person or company for leadership and support,” said Nickel Plate Arts Executive Director Ailithir McGill. “The Noblesville Downtown District Committee was selected as this year’s winner for their efforts to collaboratively build a cohesive vision for downtown Noblesville and for making alley activation a priority. The committee’s efforts are creating an infrastructure for positive impact on the creative economy that will last generations.”
The committee was founded by Common Council member Megan Wiles and is now chaired by Rick Taylor, Noblesville Common Council District 3 representative. The goal of the Downtown District Committee is to prioritize the health and vitality of the city’s historic downtown core and to direct the use of the Downtown Improvement Fund.
“The Downtown District Committee was formed to oversee an annual investment in our Downtown as a result of the trash fee. We are so proud to be partnering with our local business community, building owners, Noblesville Main Street, Nickel Plate Arts and other organizations that are dedicated to downtown,” said Wiles. “We were surprised to be nominated, and even more honored to receive the award from Nickel Plate Arts. We look forward to implementing some of the ideas of the Master Streetscape Plan and continuing to enhance our beautiful downtown.”
The committee has brought together citizens and council members to help determine the best investments for our downtown. The group is championing the task of developing a comprehensive, balanced and forward-thinking strategy for downtown.
Per the recommendations of the Streetscape Master Plan, the Downtown District committee has approved changing the streetlights, benches, trash containers, bike racks, etc. from green to black. The first phase of the project will focus on the infrastructure around the courthouse square and subsequent phases will radiate outwards from there. The city is currently working with Duke Energy to ensure all changes are consistent and seamless.
The committee also is working on creating a flower pot/banner program that will identify which poles will be used for flower pots and which will be used for banners. The idea is to decrease the clutter caused by the current placement of the banners/flower by creating a strategic guide for placement, design and quantity. Also, the committee will be working on design standards for the Downtown District along with wayfinding signs that are consistent throughout the district.
“When this committee was formed in 2017 we had several goals we hoped to accomplish,” Taylor said. “Developing a Master Streetscape Plan for our Downtown District and defining our boundaries was first on our list. With those accomplishments behind us we look forward to enhancing our Downtown District to not only show our vivid past, but promote our vibrate future.”