The City of Fort Wayne’s Community Development Division is hosting a Speaker Series this summer at the Envision Fort Wayne Center, 916 S. Calhoun St. A variety of topics will be discussed over the lunch hour on Thursdays throughout the summer months. Because the Speaker Series coincides with the Downtown Improvement District’s Lunch on the Plaza, residents can conveniently bring lunch from one of the local food trucks or downtown restaurants and join the conversation.

Topics include:

August 6, noon: Managing Stormwater

• Join Anne Marie Smrchek from City Utilities to learn about the City’s efforts to minimize the impact of stormwater on our community, including mitigating potential flooding and preventing pollution of our waterways.

August 13, noon: the Urban Farm Project

• Join Jack Close from the Office of Housing and Neighborhood Services to learn about the benefits of an urban farm, including educating the public about healthy eating, promoting economic development and revitalizing neighborhoods.

August 20, noon: Revitalizing Passenger Rail Service

• Join Northeast Indiana Passenger Rail Association (NIPRA) President Fred Lanahan for a discussion about efforts to re-establish passenger rail service in Fort Wayne.

August 27, noon: Finding a Home Downtown

• Join Heather Presley-Cowen from the Office of Housing and Neighborhood Services for a discussion about the resurgence in downtown living. Discover more about Fort Wayne’s newest housing options, what amenities are important to residents and what people are willing to pay for a downtown lifestyle.

The Envision Fort Wayne Center is a downtown storefront that provides citizens the opportunity to comment, discuss and review aspects of City of Fort Wayne projects. Currently, the Envision Fort Wayne Center’s display features the architectural renderings from the Riverfront Fort Wayne Conceptual Master Plan. Summer hours for the Center are Wednesdays, Thursdays and Fridays, 11:00 a.m. – 2:00 p.m. Residents may also call 311 to schedule an appointment to use the Center for their groups’ next meeting.