After 5 years of successfully collaborating with the county on economic development, a formal partnership was formed – LaPorte County Economic Development Alliance. The alliance is a joint venture between The Greater LaPorte Economic Development Corp. and Michigan City Economic Development Corp., creating a governmental/private sector partnership with the purpose of advancing economic growth throughout the county. The county has agreed to engage the alliance to act as the county’s economic development agency and representatives in all economic development matters. The duties of the alliance will be set and directed by its Board of Directors and the officers of the respective corporations. This action is a huge step forward for us. It formalizes the relationship with a contract for economic development services and includes the county as a vested partner.
Now more than ever, our success is gauged by the success of surrounding communities. Identifying, planning and setting our goals must include our neighbors, our county and our region. The city planner and members of the city council have joined in the planning and development of the Joint County-wide Zoning Ordinance for LaPorte County. Drafting a workable document which will include zoning and development regulations for all communities, urban and rural, in LaPorte County, is one of the keys to our future success. This 18-month process is scheduled to be completed by the end of the year.
As we look ahead into 2010, there are a number of projects in the works. Five streets are set for milling and resurfacing in the spring: Maple Ave. (from Rose St. to Indiana Ave.); Park St. (from N/S Railroad to McClung Rd.); I St. (from 10th to 18th St.); Ohio St. (from Rose St. to Roberts St.); and Ohio St. (from Boyd Blvd to Roberts St.), all funded through the American Recovery Act or ARRA. Dale Clingerman, our city engineer, and his staff have been burning the midnight oil getting these and other projects shovel ready. Streets must be listed as a “Federal Aid Street” to qualify for stimulus funding and that list has been compiled by the Engineer’s Office.
The long-awaited Boston St. reconstruction project has begun. The reconstruction will include new sewer and water lines, new curbs and gutters, sidewalks and tree lawns and new roadway. A major part of the improvement is the widening of the intersection at Boston and Lincolnway, which will allow truck traffic to easily maneuver a turn onto Boston St. The intersection at Bach St. will be reconfigured as a “T” intersection, making the through street Boston to Larson and Whirlpool Dr. This project, when complete, will open Boston St. to truck traffic, allowing easy ingress and egress into our industrial businesses. This project is being funded through 4 funding sources: federal earmark funds, STP2 (SafeTea Plan) and STP 3, hazardous funds and our local share from Major Moves.
After 3 years of waiting, the Congestive Mitigation Air Quality Funds (or CMAQ) have finally started to flow. Since 2007, the city has awaited the receipt of these funds, some funded at 80-20% and others funded at 100%. Items that the city is expecting to purchase are: 14 E-85 fueled police cars, a new sewer vacuum truck for the Wastewater Dept., an electric vehicle for the Water Dept., two flex-fuel pickup trucks, a diesel pickup truck, a gator truck, E-85 fuel and bio-diesel fuel.
Tourism is an important revenue generator. With every dollar that comes into our community from tourism, we create opportunity for local employment. The job of LaPorte County Convention and Visitors Bureau has never been more important as we compete for these dollars. The tourism bureau just completed a research based strategic branding designed to give potential visitors to our county a unique perspective of not just our two communities, Michigan City-LaPorte, but the surrounding areas; a brand designed to draw them in with our contrasting uniqueness. It is obvious that our two communities have much to offer; but different from each other, the packages we offer appeal to all varieties of people and interests. We hope this brand will define us as a Destination Place … Michigan City-LaPorte.
Looking ahead, an effort is under way to develop “The 2040 Plan,” the first comprehensive plan for the three-county region. Initiated with a regional meeting in December of 2008, this two-year process, spearheaded by the Northern Indiana Regional Planning Comm. (NIRPC), will expand the scopes of all cities, towns and counties with the growing realization that we are interdependent. We live in separate communities but we are linked in many ways. We share transportation systems, environmental issues and economic resources. In the end, this planning will help create communities that offer better choices and will ultimately play a role in the planning and building of our communities and make us stronger as a region. Many cluster workshops were conducted across the region over the last year and much information has been gathered. It’s not too late to participate. An online survey is available at NIRPC.com.
Most recently The Northwestern Indiana Economic Development District was formed, a non-for-profit corporation, for the purpose of completing a Comprehensive Economic Development Strategic Plan (CEDS) to apply for economic development district status and to seek grant assistance and financial support for economic development projects in Lake, Porter and LaPorte counties. The District has initiated the process of a call for projects to be included in the CEDS, the first of its kind. The deadline for the first round was Friday, Feb. 12. The City of LaPorte has submitted 12 projects, some including the reconstruction of Monroe Manor, construction of handicap sidewalk ramps, 39 North annexation, and fiscal impact study and clean-up of New Porte Landing. The overall goal is to create a pro-growth business climate that fosters economic development in harmony with the environment. The deliberation and forethought incorporated in this CEDS will help create jobs, foster a more stable and diversified economy and improve living conditions in the region.
The reconstruction of McClung Road is in the design phase. The project calls for widening the roadway in terms of lane width and shoulder width through most of the project area. It will address the curves, one west of the VFW and one south of Fish Trap Lake. This project is on schedule for letting in 2011.
One troubling issue that remains uncertain as we move into 2010 is the 2006 class-action lawsuit against the city. The court concluded in December that Indiana municipalities have exclusive jurisdiction over sidewalks and its authority and duty to keep them in reasonably safe condition for use by the public. The order ruled the city must bring all sidewalks into ADA compliance. It’s a mandate that will create a financial burden to the city, anywhere from an estimated $13 million to as high as $33.4 million. Because of the passage of time since the submission of all relevant financial information, a hearing is now pending to discuss implementation of the injunctive relief and options on how to proceed.
It remains to be seen just how the city will rectify a problem of this magnitude without devastating property owners and taxpayers and affecting every city service. This massive undertaking will take years to finish. We await a hearing at this time.
In closing, I hope that this overview has given you a snapshot of were we’ve been and where we are heading. There are good things ahead.
We must recognize this afternoon the dedicated employees of the city, those that provide the quality services to the residents of our city in all kinds of weather and under all kinds of conditions. We appreciate the great jobs they do. Thank you each and every one of them.
I also want to thank all of the dedicated individuals who serve on all the various boards and commissions. The city’s business simply cannot be conducted without these volunteers.
Thank you to the members of the City Council for their dedicated work; and thank you to my city attorney, Don Baugher, clerk-treasurer, Teresa Ludlow, and her chief deputy, Joanne Layman, and especially my assistant, Annette Loeffler. These folks go over and above the call of duty, providing exemplary service to the city.
We have learned over this past year that, when times get tough, we accomplish much more when we work together, side by side, and support each other. Working together under extreme conditions only makes us stronger.
Being we celebrated Abraham Lincoln’s Birthday on Friday, a quote from President Lincoln is appropriate, “A house divided against itself cannot stand.” These are challenging times, but we will not just survive, we will move forward … together.
READ THE REST of the 2010 State of the City by clicking on WNLP’s Local Government category.
