April 30, 2013 -  Mayor Tom Henry today announced that Aquarius Sports and Entertainment has been chosen to conduct a Youth Sports Community Assessment and Market Potential study for Fort Wayne as part of the Legacy Fort Wayne initiative.

Twelve proposals were submitted after a request for proposals was issued by the City of Fort Wayne on February 25th. Committee members from the City’s Parks & Recreation Department, Planning and Policy department, Visit Fort Wayne and community leaders reviewed the proposals and determined the top four firms. The contenders were interviewed and the final selection was made on April 26th.

The community assessment will include an inventory of all existing public and private sports facilities, an evaluation of community needs, and an analysis of current youth sports marketing efforts. The market potential aspect of the study will evaluate national and regional youth/prep sports trends and markets, as well as possible opportunities for Fort Wayne. It will also include recommendations for future sports facility needs and ways to expand existing sports marketing efforts.

It is anticipated that the Study will kick off in June once the contract has been approved by the Park Board and Common Council and be completed by the end of the year.

The Legacy Fort Wayne Fund was created by proceeds from the sale of the City Light Utility to Indiana Michigan Power and its funds are to be used to create transformational change in the community. Members of the Youth Sports Community Assessment and Market Potential Study Committee are: Al Moll, Sherese Fortriede, Dan O’Connell, Phil Houk, Debra Williams, Tom Didier, Mike Nutter, Perry Ehresman and Steve McDaniel.

March 28, 2013 — The Board of Park Commissioners Thursday approved the recommendation to have MSKTD & Associates design the renovation of the McMillen Park Community Center, a Legacy Fort Wayne project.

On March 6, 2013, the Fort Wayne Parks & Recreation Department accepted proposals from architectural and engineering firms to renovate the McMillen Park Ice Arena building. The project will be a community center for all ages that will include sports and recreation as well as educational, social, and health and fitness programs. Seven companies submitted proposals for this project. Fort Wayne Parks & Recreation Administration, after careful review, awarded the project to MSKTD & Associates. MSKTD will be responsible for all design necessary for bidding the construction work and will handle project management through completion. This will be Phase 1 of the project. Additional phases will be needed to complete the renovation.

To ensure the future McMillen facility would meet the community’s ongoing needs, the Fort Wayne Parks and Recreation Department held public meetings in the spring of 2011 to gather ideas. A conceptual drawing derived from the public’s feedback was presented to the community in August of 2011. This Legacy Fort Wayne project is expected to be complete in 2014 at an approximate cost of $2 million.

Formed by Mayor Tom Henry in 2011 with unprecedented public involvement and outreach, Legacy Fort Wayne is an initiative to guide decision making about the Fort Wayne Community Trust and City Light Lease Settlement funds.

March 4, 2013 – Fort Wayne Mayor Tom Henry today announced the City of Fort Wayne is inviting colleges and universities to help make the downtown area a hub for innovative learning experiences.

 As part of Legacy Fort Wayne, the City has created the Higher Education Opportunity Fund, which will provide higher learning nonprofit institutions up to a $3 million, 3-to-1 match for capital investments. The investments must be made in downtown Fort Wayne or surrounding core neighborhoods. Letters were recently sent to college and university presidents throughout Indiana and the tri-state region inviting them to submit potential projects to be funded.

The Opportunity Fund has a limited amount of dollars available and applications will be considered as they are submitted. The first step in the process is to contact Sharon Feasel, the City’s Higher Education Opportunity Fund manager, at 260-427-2107, to learn more about the criteria. All applications must include proposals for capital expenses and a long-term commitment to downtown or central urban neighborhoods.

Some of the criteria that will be considered for potential projects include:

• Long-term commitment to downtown or core neighborhoods (20-30 years).
• Emphasis on significantly increasing education and training opportunities in and around Fort Wayne’s core business district.
• A minimum project cost of $1 million with a maximum grant from the fund of $3 million.
• Number of jobs created, both during construction and long-term.
• Number of students regularly using the facility.
• Whether the facility will serve as a catalyst for additional development.
• The innovative nature of the project.

“We know how critical education is to the future success of our City. Education will lead to a skilled workforce that has the ability to compete for jobs,” said Mayor Henry. “We’re excited about the opportunities that exist for there to be a strong educational presence downtown with hundreds of students. Innovative partnerships will help bring transformational change to our community.”

Recent investments in downtown education include the purchase of the Scottish Rite Center and the Chamber Building by the University of Saint Francis. In addition, Indiana Tech continues to make enhancements to its campus, along with the introduction of a new law school.

The Legacy Fort Wayne Fund was created by proceeds from the sale of the City Light Utility to Indiana Michigan Power and its funds are to be used to create transformational change in the community. More information about the guiding principles and project criteria for the Higher Education Opportunity Fund can be downloaded here: Higher Education Opportunity Fund Information 

February 25, 2013  – Fort Wayne Mayor Tom Henry is taking another step in implementing the recommendations of the Legacy Fort Wayne initiative by issuing a request for proposals (RFP) to study youth sports opportunities. The RFP was issued today and seeks proposals from qualified consultants to conduct a thorough Youth Sports Community Assessment and Market Potential Study.

“The end goal is to build Fort Wayne into a regional and national destination for youth sports,” said Mayor Henry. “This will boost our economy, as well as provide more sporting opportunities for our local youth.”

The City’s Parks and Recreation and Planning and Policy departments will work together to ensure the successful development of the study. Proposals are due March 21 and selection of the consultant is expected to take place in mid-April. It’s anticipated the study will take up to six months to complete.

The community assessment will include an inventory of all existing public and private sports facilities, an evaluation of community needs, and an analysis of current youth sports marketing efforts. The market potential aspect of the study will evaluate national and regional youth/prep sports trends and markets, as well as possible opportunities for Fort Wayne. It will also include recommendations for future sports facility needs and ways to expand existing sports marketing efforts.

“Our Legacy Task Force examined hundreds of recommendations from citizens,” said Mayor Henry. “We expected suggestions about downtown and riverfront development, but never imagined there would be so much enthusiasm for youth sports. I’m excited to see the community’s vision take shape.”

The Legacy Fort Wayne Fund was created by proceeds from the sale of the City Light Utility to Indiana Michigan Power and its funds are to be used to create transformational change in the community. The complete RFP can be viewed  at Youth Sports Study RFP and through the City's website at http://bidding.cityoffortwayne.org/city.php.