Communities

“This is my town,” Richard Monce, town board president, said in the video, a statement echoed by many townsfolk featured including Justin Gillespie, owner of 950 Speakeasy Bistro.

“This is where my family is from,” Gillespie said.

Personal connections are one of many reasons Gillespie and his wife, Darcie, decided to open the business last year on the Wabash River. Beautiful views and access to the Nickel Plate Trail were other deciding factors.

Canal Creamery is another business highlighted in the video featuring outdoor igloos for sitting in while enjoying ice cream.

“It’s the best ice cream I’ve ever had,” Gillenwater said following the presentation. “Kudos to the town’s leadership for staying rele- vant. That is a struggle for small towns across America.”

Town of North Manchester

Like others before him, North Manchester Town Manager Adam Penrod spoke about the Imagine One85 project and what the town is doing to bring the plan’s suggestions to fruition.

“Every decision we’re making, we’re going to look at what does the plan say?” he said.

“It doesn’t mean we’re going to have to stay script for script. But, we’re going to try to do what we can.”

For example, Penrod spoke about the town’s façade program, noting that business owners doing at least $10,000 in façade work can seek a grant for up to $8,000 from the town. The grants are renewable every two years.

He also said the town is working to improve its river front development.

“We know that the river is an asset to the town,” he said. “We have a lot of recreational use in the summertime. There’s something about being next to the water, whether it’s on a river or a lake.”

The town has concentrated on Ogan’s Landing, he said. A floating boat launch was replaced with a permanent launch in the past year.

Just north of the landing, Penrod said, the town put together a project to create a pavilion on South Mill Street.

“This pavilion will be excellent for farmers market, weddings, school events, and pickleball,” he said. “We’re going to build it and see what the communi-