Bicknell Heritage Circle dedication and ribbon cutting ceremony on August 31, 2024 “We’ve been able to invest in infrastructure that was not possible outside of this program.” The city has also implemented a sidewalk replacement plan, making it easier for residents to upgrade their properties while enhancing neighborhood aesthetics. This popular program has resulted in $140,000 of investment in sidewalks in the city over three years. He expands, “In Bicknell, like many other communities the public sidewalk is a property owner’s responsibility, but when you figure out what it actually takes to replace it, it’s quite a bit of money. So, we began to offer a program where we would split the cost 50% and we do that through one of our local contractors, who is also a new business owner, Myers Contracting LLC.” A VISION FOR THE FUTURE Looking ahead, Mayor Estabrook sees a community that will continue to grow as a center of opportunity and innovation.“My hope is to continue the housing conversation, to continue new home construction, and to figure out how we can best leverage our strengths to bring new commercial and industrial neighbors or other green space that we control,” Estabrook conveys. The city is also focused on attracting homebuilders, and has provided land for development, leading to the construction of nearly 20 new homes in the past four years with more planned.“We have adopted the view that population solves all the other problems. New homes solve property tax revenue issues. New development brings new people, which then increases demand for businesses, they put more kids in the schools, which then brings more funding to the school corporation. But you can’t increase the population with nowhere to live,” the mayor acknowledges. On the infrastructure side, Bicknell has invested $7.3 million through the state’s Community Crossings grant program, improving roads, sidewalks, and drainage. “We completed the industrial park road, and we’ve paved in neighborhoods that hadn’t been paved in 30 years,” says Estabrook. 27 CIVIL AND MUNICIPAL VOLUME 06, ISSUE 01 BICKNELL, IN
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