Planned upgrades to the Culver Beach Lodge were explained to residents during Monday’s town council meeting. A public hearing was held on the plan, which was paid for in part by grant funding from the Indiana Office of Community and Rural Affairs.
Steve Park with Mosaic Building Solutions says the company has been working with residents to come up with a list of suggested improvements. “One of the number one things that came back was the condition of the spaces that are being used,” he said. “The meeting room is a nice meeting room, but it’s not very attractive and very usable in its current condition.”
Under the plan, the main level of the Beach Lodge would see the meeting room kept at about its current size but with some technology upgrades for potential users. The kitchen would be moved near the entrance and expanded.
On the lower level, Park says the building’s concession area would be reconfigured to make for a more efficient use of the space. “What we’ve talked about is addressing that by creating a separate concession structure that would connect into the lower level,” he said. “And we sort of toyed around with replicating or emulating the old ice cream stand that used to be on-site, so historically, kind of tying it back into that structure.” The restrooms would also be adjusted to allow park users to use them without necessarily having access to the rest of the building.
Meanwhile, the upper level would be residential, but office space or simply a storage area were also considered. The whole structure would likely receive sprinklers or some type of fire suppression system. Plans are also in the works to add either a small amphitheater west of the building or a larger one to the east.
All the upgrades would cost a total of about $1 million. Park says that compares to about $3 million, if the town were to tear down the historic building and start from scratch. To help cover that cost, the town might be eligible for up to $800,000 in various grants.
Town officials plan to work with Park over the next month to determine the exact extent of the work and which options the town wants to pursue. The renovation project also remains one of the town’s key priorities as it begins its second attempt at a Stellar Communities designation.
