Upgrades to Citizens Square could change guest experience

FORT WAYNE, Ind. (ADAMS) – Beginning Monday, June 2, an improvement project to a portion of the exterior of Citizens Square will result in some changes for guests.

The payment kiosk for customers of City Utilities will be relocated temporarily to the Wayne Street entrance vestibule instead of the current location on the Berry Street side of the building off Clinton Street. Limited parking will be made available for City Utilities customers using the kiosk. Another payment kiosk is available inside Citizens Square on the first floor during regular business hours.

The City released the following:

Citizens Square access and parking will be affected as well. The Clinton Street entrance will be closed for the duration of the project. Alternate entrances to the parking lot are from Barr Street to the east and Berry Street to the north. About 30 parking spots on the west end of the parking lot will be fenced off for construction equipment and material access.

The area being repaired, the concrete patio, stairs, and ramp at the northwest corner of the building, was the original entrance to the Lincoln Museum installed in the early 1990s. The concrete walking surfaces and brick masonry retaining wall sections were crumbling, creating unsafe conditions.

The redesign of the patio area will address these issues and create some additional parking spots, add railings to existing elevated surfaces, improve the nighttime lighting for increased security, and reduce the overall area of stairs requiring ice melt and snow removal in the winter.

The project was competitively bid and awarded to the lowest bidder, Schenkel Construction, Inc., at $449,400.

The City Utilities payment kiosk will be returned to its current location at the end of the project.

Completion of the project is anticipated to be in mid-September.