Officials and community members of the Town of Bremen gathered in two areas to celebrate the completion of two community projects Wednesday, October 2.
Everyone gathered at the newly finished Aquatics Facility at 525 S. Alexander Street which features a beautifully engineered zero-depth pool and splash pad. Town Manager Keith Fraine named Mike Reese from the Troyer Group for work on the project, along with Brown and Brown Construction, Bremen Town Council, Bremen Park Board, Bremen Aquatics Committee, Marshall County Crossroads, Bremen Redevelopment Commission, German Township Trustee Ben Baker, Clerk-Treasurer Janet Anglemyer, Spear Corporation, JPR, Trend Weldy, Priority Project Resources, and Park Superintendent Brian Main.
Main said the former pool facility suffered flood damage in 2018. This caused officials to ponder its future. A concept for a new pool was added to the Stellar Communities list of projects and once Marshall County was announced the winner work began on putting together plans for repair or replacement of the pool. That idea then morphed into a combined pool and splash pad concept with help of community input. Extensive work went into planning and funding the project and now it is a reality. He said people from all around Bremen and neighboring counties and other places in the state have visited the Aquatics Facility – even as far as Toronto, Ontario, Canada.
The splash pad underwent a soft opening for three weeks in September which was met with many happy recreationalists from children to grandparents enjoying the water features and a simple area to relax. Now that Fall has officially arrived, the Aquatics Facility will stay dormant until spring. Main said a schedule will be available once that time draws closer.
After the ribbon was cut to officially welcome the Aquatics Facility into Bremen, everyone moved downtown to the Jackson Street flex street project where another ribbon was cut. Fraine once again thanked all involved with the project which include a lot of the same people as well as the community, business owners, Dr. Hickman, and the town’s Utility Department, Electric Department, Street Department, and Fire Department. This project features a pavilion, fire pit and overall gathering space for events.
Fraine said a week-long Bible reading event was the first event there. The Latin Festival and the Summer’s End Festival was held in the space, along with the Farmer’s Market this year. He said the space acts as a regular street until any organization wants to request the use of the space for an event and then the street will be blocked off for the event.
Fraine commented that some other ideas are being discussed to further improve the space.
These were Stellar Communities projects and Office of Community and Rural Affairs Northwest Indiana Liaison Gerry White was in attendance to see the great work done by those involved to make the Aquatics facility and the Jackson Street flex street project areas for community members and visitors to enjoy. Marshall County was named a Stellar Community in 2019 and most of the projects are now being wrapped up in the extended time frame as a result of the impact the COVID-19 pandemic. White noted that about 60 percent of the projects were supported by local leveraged funds to complement state grant funds.
For more information about either community feature, call the Town of Bremen at 574-546-2044.
