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| (From top) Students collaborate on the Remington-Wolcott project. Designs call for new gateways to replace current "welcome" signs. Beautification plans emphasize historic architecture such as that of the Wolcott House. |
look to reflect the spirit of the towns,” Schwab says. But she admits, “Each committee was doing its own thing. We had two towns, two town councils and two different counties. We realized that we needed to direct the process and be proactive in planning our growth. The students provided that fresh perspective.”
The goal was a massive challenge for the community and unprecedented in scope for Wilson to take on with a class of junior landscape architecture students. “Usually we just have one project,” she says. “This was two towns, plus the corridor between them. We split the students into seven teams, and each worked on a different part.”
Senior landscape architect student Andrew ten Brink served a dual role. As Wilson’s teaching assistant, he both compiled resource information and helped critique student designs. “Initially there was a lot of skepticism; as they began to trust us, and, more importantly, as we began to use them as a resource, we all grew together,” says ten Brink, who is working on a master’s degree in landscape architecture at Harvard University.
For four months, the student teams gathered and analyzed data; explored and took inventory of the towns; collected input from residents; and spent hours completing designs. More than 300 community residents showed up for the students’ final presentation in April. Afterward, the design boards were on display at Wolcott’s annual Fourth of July festival and at local libraries.
On the right track
Momentum that started with the students helped town leaders go from just treading water to making real headway. The students were finished at the end of the spring semester, but Wilson and ten Brink, who had been hired by the RWCDC as a summer intern, continued to work on the project.
Ten Brink compiled an impressive inch-thick presentation book that is both record and reference for the RWCDC. It includes background work completed by the students; information on land use and zoning, building types and conditions; and historical summaries, as well as student design solutions. “One of the most satisfying aspects of the project was the very visible level of progress both towns had made between the time the students began the project until the time I left,” ten Brink says.
In the ensuing months, Wolcott and Remington town councils met together for the first time and adopted planning principles for joint projects. The RWCDC is pursuing grants from the Indiana Economic Development Corp. to determine the economic potential along the U.S. 24 corridor and met with Indiana Department of Transportation about transforming the road into a parkway and gateway to the towns. The towns received joint national Main Street designation, which provides grants for historic preservation and economic development. The Bank of Wolcott introduced a low-interest loan program for homeowners who make improvements based on guidelines developed by the students’ work.
Like Wilson, Schwab has a strong commitment to community service, and, in particular, to the community that has been her home for 30 years. “Wendy is a wonderful leader,” ten Brink says. “She has an ability to bring people together in a way I have not seen before. Her dedication to the project, given a background completely outside of the design and planning professions, allowed her to travel quickly up a fairly steep learning curve.”
Schwab hopes that the plans she helped set in motion will provide a roadmap for future leaders to follow in developing the area for many years to come. “It started as a project,” she says of the students, “But it became their passion. They changed our community, and we’ll never be the same because of it.”
Contact Olivia Maddox
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