Local collaborative wins funding for Heritage Trades program
Just a few weeks ago, Historic Downtown Kendallville and Indiana Landmarks had the unique opportunity to present to the Northeast Indiana Strategic Development Commission about a new program being developed in the region, called the Preservation Trades Collaborative. As a result of this presentation, the Collaborative was awarded a grant of $277,500 to develop the program.
About the Heritage Trades Program
The Collaborative brings together local and statewide partners to eliminate and rehabilitate blighted properties while attracting and growing talent in the trades arena through a Heritage Trades training program. Targeting the immediate five county area around Kendallville (where the program will be launched in partnership with IMPACT Institute), the Collaborative will be a pilot project assisting development of this approach as a model for implementation across the state of Indiana.
Heritage Trades skills are becoming increasingly scarce, despite the growing need. In fact, the need for new trades people is a well-known issue across the US, and Indiana unfortunately fits that trend. A particularly critical need in the region are trades people who understand and have skills specifically targeted to historic, older homes and buildings. With a preponderance of these structures constructed before WWII making up the target area’s building stock, the initiative seeks to begin to fill that need.
Using Kendallville as a “working lab,” this program will fill the gap by providing training and instruction in these highly sought-out skills, while also identifying and building the capacity of individuals within the target area to be future instructors and mentors in the field.
Historic Downtown Kendallville has witnessed the ongoing skills challenge through the implementation of the $2M PreservINg Main Street award in 2021. The project experienced significant delays and bidding roadblocks due to a lack of available contractors with skills to undertake the scope of services specified for the buildings located in the Kendallville National Register District. This lack of competition was partially responsible for the higher than estimated project costs. Work such as masonry repair, plaster work, window restoration, the rebuilding of cornices, cupolas, historically appropriate features, along with paint and other work that would retain or revive the historic integrity of the buildings all experienced shortages of available and qualified contractors. In fact, it took nearly two years and multiple requests for proposals before the execution of a successful bid award - and even then, it required tapping contractors from outside of Indiana. Indiana Landmarks’ experience shows a need in every county for these specialized skills.
Project Partners
The Collaborative is facilitated and will be managed by Indiana Landmarks in partnership with Kendallville Restorations, Inc., Historic Downtown Kendallville, the City of Kendallville, the Dekko Foundation, Ivy Tech, and IMPACT Institute. Each partner brings experience and passion to develop these crucial preservation skills, create a working laboratory for existing construction trades business owners, and students and recent graduates who wish to learn the art of historic preservation and start their own specialty business.
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