Workers for Anderson Lawn Care and Landscaping (from left) Grant Thacker, Rick Dunnuck and Don Haldorsen, were installing brick Thursday in the new downtown plaza in Warsaw. Much of the project was complete by Friday. The grand opening is Monday, June 10.

WARSAW — The newly constructed area at the southeast corner of the Kosciusko County Courthouse — formally coined as the Downtown Plaza — will be the focus of a grand opening Monday morning, June 10.

From left, Grant Thacker and Don Haldorsen, of Anderson Lawn Care and Landscaping, install decorative brick Thursday in the new Downtown Plaza at the corner of Center and Buffalo streets in Warsaw.

A ribbon cutting at the corner of Buffalo and Center streets is planned for 11 a.m. on Monday.

(Editor’s note: Plans for a free lunch were canceled Monday.)

The project was funded through a Patronicity project which generates private funds and then is matched with support from Indiana Housing and Community Development Authority (IHCDA). 

The plaza surrounds a war monument and replaces grass with decorative brick and a brick wall around the perimeter intended for seating. Work on the plaza was significantly delayed in recent weeks but is near completion. Picnic tables will soon be added to make is more of a gathering area.

Patronicity funding was also used two years ago to help fund spruce up the alley south of city hall. That project raised $50,000 and was also matched with support from the Indiana Housing and Community Development Authority (IHCDA). 

Sponsors for the grand opening are One Ten Craft Meatery, Maple Leaf Farms and Warsaw Community Development Corporation.

Visitors to Friday Friday on Friday, June 7, began to see the benefits of a perimeter wall designed for seating in the new Downtown Plaza. A small portion of the decorative brick plaza behind a cannon monument was still under construction.