WEST LAFAYETTE − New Mayor Jessie Tubbs of West Lafayette recently gave her first state of the village address, looking back at 2023 and ahead at 2024.
For the past year, she mentioned many new businesses came to the village and she is hopeful for more in 2024, including new tenants in the building that once house the Ridgewood General Store. Large-scale change is possible, as the revitalization of the Brickstone Building proved. It features apartments and new businesses in Bubbles and Barks Dog Grooming Boutique, Nails by Missy, Village Massotherapy and Palmbay Studio. A coffee shop and bakery is to be added.
Work was completed on projects made possible via a $750,000 Neighborhood Revitalization Grant awarded in 2021. This includes a new playground, picnic pavilion and paved parking lots at Waterworks Park, a paved public lot on Main Street and a handicap accessible ramp at the administration building.
Sidewalks on Russell Avenue were also installed through other funding. Improvement were made to sewers and the wastewater treatment plant too.
Tubbs wants infrastructure improvements to continue to be addressed with “a proactive plan to help bring our village forward and hopefully become less reactive in the process.”
On the list for 2024 is crosswalk striping; alley paving and sidewalk replacement with locations to be determined; sidewalk installation and storm sewers on Wall Street with a walking path added behind the road; creating a five to 10 year plan for street repairs and resurfacing that includes storm sewers, curbs, sidewalks, catch basins and alleys; and securing grants for more wastewater improvements.
Tubbs also wants to expand park amenities and outdoor recreational opportunities. She wants trash cans, benches, signage, lights and cameras added to Waterworks Park. A splash pad will go in at Burt Park with grant funding. New trees are to be planted throughout the village with current ones maintained. She wants to partner with Ridgewood School to place new playground equipment at the elementary building. Fitness Park will go where the community pool once stood.
“A major focus will be on code compliance this year and getting properties cleaned up through communicating with residents and trying to find a sustainable solution for those that continue to violate the property codes,” she said of another goal.