The state of the city of La Porte is “growing stronger everyday,” according to Mayor Blair Milo, who addressed members of the Greater La Porte Chamber of Commerce Friday afternoon at the Best Western on Pine Lake Avenue.
It was the 12th annual State of the City address in La Porte and Milo shared some of the city’s accomplishments over the past year and outlined some specific plans to improve the town over the next 12 months.
“We made a lot of progress over the last year,” she said. “We had our first Maple City Grand Prix (boat race on Stone Lake)” that brought in more than $1 million to the local economy through the race and all associated events, the mayor said.
The sidewalk replacement plan has been in full effect, as Jefferson Avenue downtown received a sidewalk facelift in 2013.
The mayor stressed the commitment her administration has to fixing potholes and local roads, pointing out that for the first time in the city’s history, the yearly budget now includes a line item for road paving alone.
Milo touted both the city’s Police and Fire departments, showing a 19 percent decrease in crime, which she credited to the recent establishment of “community policing efforts” such as “Coffee With a Cop” events and Facebook virtual ridealongs.
To aid the Department, Milo announced the city recently purchased four new squad cars and 35 laptops.
The city police working with the La Porte County Sheriff's Office led to the arrest of Jason Tibbs, the man accused of the 1993 murder of La Porte native Rayna Rison, a case that had went unsolved for two decades.
The Fire Department had an extremely busy year, Milo said. A record-high increase in structure fires (74 percent) in the city warranted Milo’s recognition of their efforts as well.
“Substantial” improvements were made the La Porte City Hall as well.
“It has now been upgraded to meet the code and accessibility requirements and we have been able to keep the historical aspect of the building,” she said.
Milo concluded her address on an uplifting note, saying that the city can now open its doors to regional, national and international achievements , noting that the city was selected as a finalist in the community of the year competition by the Indiana State Chamber.
“We can change the world - Slicer style,” she said.