On March 15, 2013 La Porte Mayor Blair Milo spoke in front of over 120 citizens for the the 11th Annual Greater La Porte Chamber of Commerce’s State of the City Luncheon at the Best Western Hotel Conference Center.
After being introduced by Chamber President Michael Steitz, Milo began by looking back at her first State of the City Address a year prior and all of the initiatives and goals that have been accomplished. “When I look back on all that we have accomplished in a little over one year, I scarcely believe what we have achieved and all that has unfolded,” she stated.
Milo credited the community focus of many organizations in and around La Porte, most notably Bert Cook’s team at the Greater La Porte Economic Development Corporation (GLEDC) for the economic progress the city has seen over the past year.
“The economic development expertise and professional reputation of GLEDC is second-to-none across the state,” explained Milo. “By balancing an aggressive pursuit of progress with finesse, the GLEDC team‘s partnership with the city has given rise to game-changing projects in the city of La Porte.”
September’s expansion of Thomas Rose Industrial Park and the possibility of 1,000 new jobs coming to La Porte County was a keystone event for the first year of Milo’s tenure in office. She touched on a few details of the project including an independent study done by Purdue University North Central, finding that an additional 350 jobs could be added to the tally when follow-on service-sector jobs were factored in.
Milo also credited the Redevelopment Commission, Community Development Partnership and GLEDC on the progress toward the development of Newport Landing. Tiffany Bley, Downtown Director for the La Porte Chamber was also spoken of for her success in revitalizing La Porte’s downtown area. Some of the new programs initiated under Bley’s watch include Second Saturdays, the Taste of La Porte and downtown Trick-or-Treat Night.
Attention then turned to the successful year seen by the city’s various departments and services. “As we continue to build our community’s economic foundation, providing for sustainable infrastructure needs and fundamental public services is the second pillar of the outline for success,” she said. “Numerous achievements have taken place due to top notch leadership from our department heads, as well as unparalleled professionalism and dedication from our city employees.”
New programs in place had the city see improving crime rates, decreasing violations, increased participation in safety programs, and cooperation between departments. Improvements in infrastructure in the water and street department were particularly noted. The parks department’s partnership with IU Health La Porte to expand trails were just one of the highlights in improving the city’s programs offered for improved health in the community. Also, due to the hard work of the Lake Association, Pine Lake will be usable this upcoming summer.
“The legal, engineering, and community planning development departments have each played vital roles in the success of every endeavor discussed, including economic development, sustainable infrastructure and many other initiatives,” Milo explained. “They are the intrinsic, often subtle but extremely powerful, connections that move all projects forward through the complex world of government and legal requirements.”
Mayor Milo’s third and pillar on her outline of success is the community’s dedication to positive lifestyle choices. This arena also saw positive gains throughout the year, to which Milo credited partnerships with IU Health La Porte Hospital and the La Porte County YMCA, including the Fitness Friday program. A new cycling program partnership with General Insurance Services is also being introduced this year.
Drug prevention initiatives were also taken, including a partnership with the La Porte Community School Corporation Drug Free Task Force. “There is still much work to be done toward substance abuse, as even one overdose is one too many,” stated Milo. “But I am encouraged by the work being done by our schools, churches, community organizations, mentors, and most impressively by our youth. Heros are being made just by reaching out to fill the voids that drugs and alcohol only temporarily address.”
She continued, “All of these events, triumphs, and obstacles overcome are thrilling for the respective opportunities they will provide this community. But what excites me the most are the intangibles that are the driving force behind our collective success. The unity, teamwork and most importantly, the faith in this community and in one another. My vision for La Porte is to be a community that believes, takes action and achieves goals. All of these collective successes have taken us steps closer to making that vision across the community a reality.”
Milo referenced La Porte’s two newest ambassadors, Jaidyn and Neilah Maule. an example of inspiration for the success of the La Porte community. The Maule sisters were introduced as City Ambassadors the night prior in the State of the City Address to the City Council.
“When I look at those girls, I think of three things. First, no one can ever question the existence of miracles. Second, each of us can only hope to match the strength of the “princess warriors”, as one of the emergency responders has referred to them as. And finally, that they are living proof of the power of a community that rallies to support their own."
The mayor continued, “Belief and faith in our community is fundamental to our success, but we can not simply wish it to be so. We have to be willing to take action upon and in support of our belief.”
Milo then called on the community to get involved with the many community activities, programs, and events geared toward making life in La Porte better. She closed, “La Porte has the team to make this vision a reality, to achieve our goals and then some, to make La Porte the best place to live, work, and do business.”
Click here for photos from the event!