The city of South Bend’s project to build a bandshell at Howard Park has hit a snag but a city official says it’s a minor one.
In July the city announced it won a $3 million state of Indiana READI grant for the bandshell, which is expected to cost at least $6 million. City deputy public works director Jitin Kain says the city has to come up with the other $3 million but hasn’t decided the exact funding source.
“It likely will be TIF and maybe some other resources but I think that’s still being finalized,” Kain says.
TIF means tax incremental financing, or property taxes collected within the downtown area.
In addition to more funding, the project needs to get its footing, literally. The city’s Board of Public Works this week approved paying contractor Abonmarche $7,900 to bore deeper to find soil that can support the bandshell’s foundation next to the St. Joseph River.
Kain says Abonmarche first bore down 25 feet.
“This one is going to go deeper than 25 feet to see what the soil conditions are below 25 and then that will inform the type of foundation designers will design."
Kain says construction should start in the spring and the city hopes to have the bandshell finished by the end of next year.
