Click the on each title for the full article.
12/16/2011
Supporters of a proposed railroad-themed, mixed-use development near downtown Fort Wayne plan to use the delay in the determination of how the city should spend $77 million in City Light lease and community trust funds to hone the details of their proposal.“It gives everyone who’s vying for certain opportunities time to flesh out what they want to do,” said Kelly Lynch, project manager for Headwaters Junction.
Based on feedback on the city’s Legacy website, Headwaters Junction, which would showcase the Nickel Plate Railroad steam locomotive No. 765, was one of the most popular proposals. Of some 900 ideas proposed to the task force, it also made the short list of 24 the task force said last August were worthy of further consideration.
But subjects like the development of Fort Wayne’s riverfront have been discussed for decades, Lynch noted. “I think people should ask not just what should happen, but why hasn’t it happened already?”
8/19/2011
By Doug Leduc, Greater Fort Wayne Business Weekly
A task force of 15 volunteers has evaluated nearly 1,000 suggestions for projects and initiatives that could help shape Fort Wayne’s future.
Members have narrowed that number down to 24 they believe could get the most bang out of a $77-million financial legacy the city has coming.
Fort Wayne Mayor Tom Henry appointed the Legacy Fort Wayne task force to gather and evaluate the suggestions. It is now pulling together any additional information needed to review the ideas it tagged for further consideration.
The task force evaluated suggestions from the public for use of the money. It has been judging them against a set of four guiding principles on an evaluation form it developed for the review process:
• Funds directly benefit the people of Fort Wayne;
• Considers previously adopted community plans;
• Long-term best interests of the community; and
• Community priority impact areas.
Kelly Lynch, project manager for Headwaters Junction, said plans for the mixed-use gateway and downtown attraction project showcasing the Nickel Plate Railroad steam locomotive No. 765 at the North River property predate the legacy request for proposals and fit with previous community planning.
“A lot of people see this as an opportunity to further legitimize the concept,” he said. “I was told by people involved in the (legacy) project it was one of the bold and visionary ideas submitted.”
“Seed money for the development of the project — for its planning and implementation and design — would take it to the next level, which is more than just me armed with a 50-page conceptual plan,” Lynch said. “There are a lot of doors that could still be opened.”
5/18/2011
Steam engine vision shared at last month’s Northwest Area Partnership meeting
Old locomotive would be center of North River area.
By Rosie O’Grady, The News SentinelWhenever reading a good book, did you ever peek at the last few pages to see how it ends? That’s what I will do right now. Our guest speaker, Kelly Lynch, had such an awesome presentation and a vision that we have all been waiting for, and that’s the return of rail to our city.
Lynch, the director of the Fort Wayne Railroad Historical Society, described his vision of returning the Nickel Plate Railroad steam locomotive No. 765 to the North River site (former OmniSource property) at Fourth and Clinton streets, which is across Clinton Street from the engine’s resting place in Lawton Park from 1963 to 1974. The engine since has been rebuilt. There have been 50,000 seasonal visitors, and they come from 50 states and seven countries in only 16 days of (No. 765’s excursions) operation.
What a plus this would be for our city to once again have the old locomotive in its own roundhouse with rail system and possibly a canal, splashpad, park or performance area at that now-vacant North River site. Called Headwaters Junction, it (the proposed development) would become a centerpiece to the cultural corridor that would establish Fort Wayne as a forward-thinking place with vision and character.
It would become a magnet for downtown and serve as a connection for the Fort Wayne Children’s Zoo, Science Central, Headwaters Park, Rivergreenway and Wells Street corridor. It could serve area business and stimulate industrial growth with its “short rail” system; create apprenticeships; and boost civic pride, education outreach, special events, entertainment, recreation and learning in a vivid, hands-on setting.
This vision would and could be something for everyone, and the vision seems endless. I’m hoping all the partnerships will invite Lynch to hear about returning rail to our city again.
6/24/2011
Headwaters Junction Project Gains Steam
By Doug Leduc, Greater Fort Wayne Business Weekly
The proposal was the third most popular suggestion from the public for use of a $77-million financial legacy the city has coming: $38.2 million already held in a community trust fund and $39.2 million that will be paid out over 15 years, after an initial lump-sum payment of $5 million, as a result of the settlement of Fort Wayne’s 35-year-old City Light lease with Indiana Michigan Power.
“There’s a lot of energy behind it with a lot of people in the community,” said John Urbahns, Fort Wayne’s director of community development.
The Headwaters Junction proposal would provide an opportunity for the kind of mixed-use retail and residential development the city has come close to undertaking at the North River property in the past.
“We’ve said all along this is a very key property … It’s the primary gateway to downtown along the river and has a lot of development opportunity,” Urbahns said. “We’re very interested in the development of any vacant parcel in the city and we’re very interested in the future development of this property.”
Members of the Fort Wayne Railroad History Society and other residents interested in moving forward with Headwaters Junction have sought input on the project and support for it from a number of community groups, and been met with some success.
The project has been endorsed by the Downtown Improvement District, Fort Wayne Trails, Friends of the Rivers, Friends of the Parks and Arts United. Other groups supporting it include the Wells Street Business Association, Young Leaders of Northeast Indiana and the Bloomingdale, Nebraska and Northside neighborhood associations.
6/2/2011
Kelly Lynch’s ambitious revitalization project once again in the spotlight.
By Michael Summers, Fort Wayne Reader
“Kelly Lynch puts a lot of faith in the visceral power of the old locomotives — he’s seen them work their magic. One of the centerpieces of the Fort Wayne Railroad Historical Society is the 765 locomotive, which occasionally tours the country. On a trip last September, the 765 pulled into Payne, Ohio to “top off the tender.” “We use water and coal to make steam, and we got approval from the town of Payne to use one of their fire hydrants,” Lynch says. “Word spread that a steam locomotive was going to stop in town. These people didn’t know where it was coming from, the history, even its number. All they knew was this Tyrannosaurs Rex was going to roll into town. We pulled into town with the crew, and started rolling out the fire hoses. They were marching kids out of school, all lined up on the street, and when they heard the locomotive, the reaction was… it was like listening to kids on a roller coaster. It didn’t matter it was 66 years old, the theatrical machine was there.”
Yet however enthusiastic and positive Lynch gets about his subject, there’s a part of him that seems a little ambivalent about Headwaters Junction becoming involved in the Community Trust/Light Lease Settlement discussion. He’s grateful for the support, grateful that so many people seem so interested, but as we said above, Lynch has been researching and developing Headwaters Junction for years. As anyone who has seen his proposal can attest, it’s not some “hey, wouldn’t it be cool if…” idea thrown out on a whim.
And perhaps more importantly, he worries about it being politicized. It’s a valid concern — discussion on what to do with the Community Trust/Light Lease Settlement funds has already generated some controversy. Critics argue that if the money needs to be spent — and they’re not at all sure it does — it should be put towards something like the ongoing combined sewer overflow project; not glamorous, perhaps, but something that needs to be done.
So Lynch hopes people won’t dismiss Headwaters Junction out of hand, and says that some of the negative comments he’s heard have been a little confusing. “Part of what I’ve discovered in the past year is that we are a city and a region of self-fulfilling prophecies,” he says. “That can be good or bad. I hear, ‘oh, Fort Wayne will never be this or that…’ Well, yes, with that attitude, it never is going to change. But why settle for that? Why can’t we do better?”
6/22/2010
Kelly Lynch’s ambitious revitalization project.
By Michael Summers, Fort Wayne Reader
“Headwaters Junction is a $15 million project that would basically transform the “North River” property — the slab of land currently belonging to Calhoun Investments with Clinton on the east, 4th Street to the south, Harrison to the west, and 6th Street on the north — into an area based on Fort Wayne’s transportation heritage. The proposal details a recreation of a turn-of-the-century rail yard with a working train that would not only offer everyday transportation but would be available for special excursions. The whole area would have a turn-of-the-century feel, and offer space for special events and other attractions. There’s even mention of a jazz-themed restaurant in there.
And, on top of all that, Headwaters Junction can also serve a practical function. “The rail is also a short line carrier,” Lynch says. “It’s a freight line. Having a short line operator serving area industry is a major incentive for people who want to locate their businesses in, for example, the Coliseum industrial park. 20 cars a week — for a little guy you could attract all sorts of new businesses.”
Lynch finishes: “There are so many facets and so many possibilities that it’s hard to condense it.”
5/21/2010Group envisions it as railroad-themed complexKevin Leininger, The News Sentinel
“(Headwaters Junction) is a pretty big project, but the Railroad Historical Society has some credibility because it has raised funds (in the past),” Urbahns said. “The project is creating quite a buzz.”
Craig Leonard, a Bluffton-based architect who specializes in historic structures and is active with preservation group ARCH, said transportation-themed attractions can be successful, as evidenced by a museum dedicated to the Wabash and Erie Canal in Delphi.
Lynch said his project would require only about one-third of the 29-acre site surrounding the depot. The rest would be available for other developments – developments that could be enhanced by a successful “Headwaters Junction,” Lynch said.”
Headwaters Junction 