The Bourbon Business Luncheon held on Thursday was an opportunity for business owners to speak with Town Officials as well as to collaborate with one another.
Bourbon Town Council President Les McFarland said a number of matters were discussed, including the U.S. 30 Coalition. The Indiana Department of Transportation has plans to potentially upgrade U.S. 30 to freeway standards within the next decade. This will require the various cities and towns on the route to implement crossovers and interchanges at integral points.
McFarland said that while no official timeline has been presented, he thinks it’s important for officials and residents to be considering needs ahead of time, especially since they are a rural community that has a plethora of farmers who utilize equipment on the roads.
He added that he thinks Bourbon is a bit ahead of the game compared to some surrounding areas since they already have a clover-leaf interchange in town.
The Town Council President said one thing they considered during the luncheon was the most ideal place where a crossover could be installed. He explained that a frequently used road, such as Fir Road may be more of a priority than one that is less busy, such as Apple Road.
Additionally, McFarland mentioned some infrastructure enhancements, such as the recently refurbished sidewalks and the upcoming Community Crossings Projects that will result in about $300,000 of work being conducted on the streets in town.
President McFarland stated that the luncheon is held annually in order for the people in the government to be on the same page as the community members running businesses within the town. McFarland said that other communities have expressed an interest in hosting similar events after seeing how successful they’ve been in Bourbon.
More information from the Bourbon Business Luncheon will be provided in the future.
