Colon considers improvements to add appeal, draw tourists

COLON — Wayfinding signs, a block-long social district, in-ground planting strips, rooftop gardens and brightly painted crosswalks were just a few of several ideas presented Tuesday to potentially enhance Colon’s image.

The third of a three-part series centering on efforts to make Colon a destination community took place Nov. 29 at American Legion Post 454. The 90-minute program was led by Michigan State University’s School of Planning, Design and Construction.

A kickoff event in April provided a solid start to the series, while a follow-up program took place in August at Colon Township Library.

Event facilitator Wayne Beyea said the MSU team has conducted similar events with nearly 100 other Michigan communities over the past 10 years. He said MSU’s assistance is called a Sustainable Built Environment Initiative and is led largely by MSU seniors and its graduate students as part of a graded class project.

Beyea said no matter what suggestions end up getting adopted, some will be realized sooner and others will take a while to implement.

“When you put together a jigsaw puzzle, you start with the edges then you begin working on different colors and images that work together, similar to this situation,” he said.

Beyea displayed several before-and-after photos, the before pictures showing different images of downtown Colon and the after pictures featuring many of the suggestions incorporated in other communities, including Cassopolis.

The after photos specific to Colon featured plenty of color, including Magi-themed, red-and-white painted crosswalks, colorful murals on exposed sides of downtown buildings, stringed lights, native grasses and permeable concrete at the southwest corner of State Street and Blackstone Avenue, and a “Magic Alley” arch over South Swan Street at the State Street intersection.

Obviously, Beyea said, any improvements would come at a cost. But, he added, the village could position itself to pursue a variety of grants.

“There are arts and culture council grants, there’s the (Michigan) Department of Natural Resources that has grants for that (Palmer Lake) boat launch, for instance. You talk about improving walkability and enhancing the safety of pedestrians, one of the very successful programs you can work on in partnership with the school is called Safe Routes to School,” he said, noting Safe Routes grants typically award $200,000. “Communities that we’ve worked with get resources to be able to do and build off some of those (projects) … these are how you can move forward.”

He said other grants Colon might consider are earmarked for converting abandoned buildings into living quarters, for greenspace creation and for energy efficiency measures.

A key next step Beyea mentioned will be an effort for Colon to become Redevelopment Ready Community accredited through the Michigan Economic Development Corp.

“If you go through and get certified, that makes you eligible for all kinds of different grant money, it’s how communities get going on some of these things,” he said.

Marquette was cited as an example of a community that can trace its downtown resurgence to being a RRC-accredited community.

Beyea said a final report will be compiled and prioritize feedback yielded Tuesday to identify short-, medium- and long-range goals to move forward. He expects that will be completed and presented to the village by March.

In the meantime, Colon resident Camille Wilson said she plans to assemble an idea committee comprised of people interested in further looking at the proposals Beyea and his team have presented.

Colon DDA received a grant to help cover half of the $15,000 cost of the Sustainable Built Environment Initiative.

This article originally appeared on Sturgis Journal: Colon considers improvements to add appeal, draw tourists