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:

June 4, noon – Headwaters Junction/Historic 765 Attraction
• Learn more about Headwaters Junction from featured speaker, Kelly Lynch, of the Fort Wayne Railroad Historical Society. Lynch will discuss the details of the Headwaters Junction proposal, its role in Phase I of the Riverfront Conceptual Master Plan, and news about fundraising for the Headwaters Junction feasibility study.

June 11, noon – Commuter and Recreational Biking
• Kate Riordan, City Active Transportation Planner, and Amy Hartzog, City Greenways Assistant, will lead a discussion about bike commuting and recreational biking. Riordan and Hartzog will talk about the benefits of cycling, the rules of the road, and how to choose the best route for a cycling trip. This presentation will encourage participants to consider biking in the Greater Fort Wayne area.

June 18, noon – Riverfront and Downtown Update
• Pam Holocher, Deputy Director for Planning, will provide residents the latest information about Riverfront Fort Wayne progress as well as efforts to update the Downtown Plan.

June 25, noon – Downtown Arts and Culture
• Susan Mendenhall and Dan Ross, of Arts United, will engage residents in a discussion about the importance of arts and culture in revitalizing downtown Fort Wayne. They'll review how long-time spaces such as the Embassy Theatre, Arts United campus and University of Saint Francis Performing Arts Center are undergoing facility and programming improvements. They'll also discuss new arts facilities such as The Phoenix jazz club and Ratliff Gallery.

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.