MISHAWAKA, Ind. -- Former Mishawaka Mayor Jeff Rea's impact on Kamm Island has been honored with the Jeffrey L. Rea Pavillion opening.
Kamm Island was formerly considered a blight on the community, now it's a beautiful area with a reimagined waterfront connecting several parks. This development came to be because of Rea’s work to revitalize the area with a concept dating back to 1991.
A few years ago, a pavilion was proposed on Kamm Island. This received public backlash as neighbors were concerned about their privacy and sued the city over the land’s usage.
Rea fought back as the chief witness and won.
Incumbent Mishawaka Mayor Dave Wood credits Rea for the hard work of acquiring and redeveloping the land we now enjoy as Kamm island. Which is why Rea was the only person Wood could think of to name the pavilion after.
Now, three years and almost half a million dollars later, the pavilion was dedicated to Rea.
Including visual elements such as chevrons and the hexagon from the old Tribe-O-Rea drug store-which was a local pharmacy Rea's parents owned-and stones that look like the stones on the banks of the river. Rea calls the pavilion's naming a great honor, but he's more excited about how arts and culture improve quality of life and brings more people to the area.
"None of the work I did was about legacy,” Rea said. “It was about improving the community. For the last 32 years I've had the opportunity the make a difference here in this area and I've been given some wonderful opportunities to influence that and work with a lot of talented people whose chief objective is to grow and improve this community and I'm proud to play just a small part in that."
The pavilion was built with residual federal funding from the "Cares Act" which aimed to fund quality of life outdoor activities. The pavilion also compliments the upcoming redevelopments happening to the nearby 100 center. Mayor Wood says Mishawaka's focus on quality of life before it became a trend is what sets us apart.
"We have been investing in our parks for decades. And it really adds up, but mostly it contributes to the great quality of life in Mishawaka. So, when you think about our parks, whether they're our riverwalk parks, our signature parks downtown, or neighborhood parks, they contribute to public safety, they contribute to stability in neighborhoods. They add value in our community as far as home value and make Mishawaka an attractive place to raise a family."
Kamm Island Fest will be the first event held at the pavilion, but they’re gearing up for a Thursday night concert series, yoga in the park, and a Jimmy Buffet festival in late August.