FORT WAYNE, Ind. (WOWO) — Fort Wayne is moving forward with the first phase of Mayor Sharon Tucker’s Safe Neighborhoods Initiative, beginning with a plan to install dozens of new streetlights along Oliver Street.
Fort Wayne City Council is set to discuss a $254,062 contract for the installation of 67 new streetlights along Oliver Street between East Pontiac Street and Rudisill Boulevard.
The project marks the first phase of the initiative, which Mayor Tucker introduced during her February State of the City address as an effort focused on improving neighborhood safety, strengthening community connections and investing in areas across Fort Wayne.
The initiative builds on the city’s High Street Crime Prevention Through Environmental Design, or CPTED, pilot project, which included improvements such as new curbs, sidewalks, streetlights, crosswalks, motion sensor lighting, murals and street trees in the Bloomingdale, Hamilton and Nebraska neighborhoods north of downtown.
City officials said those improvements were associated with an approximately 40% decrease in crime in the pilot area.
The city’s Community Development Division, working with the Public Works Division and the Fort Wayne Police Department, is now beginning work in the Oxford Neighborhood, located east of Hanna Street and south of Pontiac Street.
Planned improvements include CPTED assessments, new streetlights and sidewalk construction connecting Weisser Park to Bowser Avenue.
The project will also include community-focused improvements funded through a grant from the Knight Foundation. Artwork will be installed in the neighborhood, and a block party is planned for October.
City officials said residents will help shape the artwork and event planning, with the goal of encouraging neighborhood pride and stronger connections among neighbors.
“We must have safe, strong, engaged, and growing neighborhoods as the backbone of Fort Wayne,” Mayor Tucker said. “Without a commitment to investing in neighborhoods, we won’t be able to get to where we want to be as a community.”
Tucker said the Safe Neighborhoods Initiative is designed to provide long-term benefits for residents by improving public spaces and creating a greater sense of safety.
CPTED is an approach that focuses on designing and improving public spaces in ways that discourage crime and encourage community activity. The strategy can include better lighting, improved visibility, neighborhood beautification and creating spaces where residents feel more connected.
The Department of Neighborhoods is also working with the University of Pennsylvania’s Department of Criminology and Dr. John MacDonald to study and measure the impact of the High Street pilot and Safe Neighborhoods projects.
City officials say research and data collection will help guide future improvements and evaluate the effectiveness of the initiative.
More information about the Safe Neighborhoods Initiative is available through the city’s Engage Fort Wayne platform.
