This file photo shows Hometown Collaboration Initiative project participants Lori Gagen of the Noble County Economic Development Corp.; Albion Town Manager Tena Woenker; and Albion S.T.A.R. Team leader Steve Hook. The alley was designed to be a gathering place to help bring traffic to the town’s downtown.
ALBION — Now what?
The Hometown Collaboration Initiative, which brought state grant money into a downtown alley project in Albion is basically defunct.
“Now what happens?” Albion Town Manager Tena Woenker asked at Feb. 9’s regularly scheduled town council meeting. “Who’s in charge?”
The alley in question runs east-west through the middle of the block to the east of the Noble County Courthouse. It has been decorated with special markings and lighting through funds provided by the state initiative.
Feb. 9, Steve Hook of the Albion S.T.A.R. Team, a philanthropic group whose mission is to promote use of the downtown, appeared before the council requesting that his organization take over management of the alley, everything from maintaining it to cleaning it up to scheduling and promoting events.
“It seems appropriate the S.T.A.R. Team handle that,” Woenker said early on in the discussion. Since the HCI has basically ceased to exist, someone needs to manage the area.
The Albion Town Council did not think giving the responsibility to the S.T.A.R. Team was at all appropriate.
“This is a public alley,” Councilwoman Chris Magnuson said. “This is downtown. You can’t put the S.T.A.R. Team in charge of a public alley. We haven’t vacated it.”
The town has an application process for any major event requesting to happen within the town limits. The process includes a 60-day waiting period if it falls in the time frame of both a town council meeting for final approval and a town department head meeting for determining what of the town’s assets will need to be utilized to pull off the event.
Woenker and Council President Vickie Jellison both said they envisioned the space to be used for small gatherings and parties, such as family picnics.
Magnuson said that was not her understanding of the usage of the space.
“Now we have something we don’t know how to use it?” Jellison asked.
Councilman John Morr said the normal, more formal application process must be maintained for events in the alley, which would lead to its temporary closure while the event is being held.
“I think it’s the safest way to do it,” Morr said. “Handle it just like any other event.”
“It’s no different than renting a pavilion in the park,” Councilman Darold Smolinske agreed.
The council stressed its decision was not a knock on the S.T.A.R. Team.
“We appreciate the S.T.A.R. Team,” Smolinske said. “We just have to figure out how to manage it.”
The discussion was ended without making any formal decision, but Woenker was tasked with bringing the current application form back to council in the hopes of perhaps creating a version which can be completed more quickly.
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