The 2015 State of the Region took place at the Radisson Star Plaza in mid-April. People from all over Lake County came out to find out what they can expect to see happening and what already took place in the Crown Point and Merrillville schools and communities in 2014 and 2015.
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The event was hosted by the Crossroads Regional Chamber of Commerce. This Chamber is a combination of Merrillville and Crown Point Chambers, so it’s only natural that both cities be represented at once in the annual address.
Things got started with a warm welcome from Sue Reed, President and CEO of the Crossroads Chamber.
“We’re going to hear presentations from the City of Crown Point, the Town of Merrillville as well as updated from the educational systems from both communities,” Reed said. “We have wonderful partnerships with the Town of Merrillville, the City of Crown Point, and the school corporations. The support that you give us and the opportunities that we have to make our communities a better place makes getting up and going to work enjoyable every day.”
Councilman Shawn Pettit was up first, and he presented for the Town for Merrillville. There were many things that Pettit spoke on, revealing Merrillville as a growing and prospering town.
Some highlights of his presentation were: Subdivisions are growing and the Fight the Blight Program is going well. Many homes in Merrillville that were once abandoned or neglected are now getting much needed TLC, causing property values to go up. The old NSU building is now the home of Modern Forge LLC and this change brought over 250 jobs to Northwest Indiana.
Drainage problems in Merrillville are being resolved. A 20-year storm water master plan has been finalized and capital improvement projects estimated at over $24 million dollars have been identified. Merrillville Stormwater Utility was ranked best in the state for the FEMA CRS program. A new parks master plan for 2015-2019 was completed and it highlights new trail development, protection of green space, a community recreation facility, and improved athletic fields.
“We have had a great deal of activity in the past year and we’re looking forward to more coming in 2015,” Pettit said. “It’s been a busy 2014 for us and it’s going to be a busy 2015.”
Dr. Teresa Eineman, Superintendent of Crown Point Community Schools, was next. She had a lot of good things to share.
“We have issued 15,000 college credits to our credits to our students in the past few years, saving our parents over $3 million dollars,” Dr. Eineman said. “That is a significant accomplishment for our 97% graduation rate, our AP college preparatory programs, and it’s truly an investment that is paying off in Northwest Indiana.”
The schools in Merrillville are thriving thanks to the active communities that surround them. According to national reports from the Center for American Progress Crown Point schools are ranked the third highest in the state of Indiana for measuring student achievement relative to spending and controlling factors outside of the school corporation’s control like poverty and cost of living. As of now all 10 Crown Point Schools have been awarded “A”s from the Indiana Department of Education as had the School Corporation. Dr. Eineman proudly showed a newly released video that was a two year project for Larry King’s “In View” show on Fox. Crown Point was the only school in Indiana that was approached for the project.
“I am so grateful for this Chamber of Commerce,” Dr. Eineman went on to say. “The leadership and members of the Crossroads Regional Chamber of Commerce understand our lives. This Chamber and our government officials set aside political bantering to be active and assertive in the pursuit of the best quality of life through an educated citizenry, public safety, thriving businesses, and economic development to advance Northwest Indiana within a world class arena.”
Mayor David Uran was then introduced and he gave the State of the City address for Crown Point. “Our motto is: building stronger communities from within,” Mayor Uran said. “The city continues to move in a positive direction for our residents, our business community, and our visitors.”
Highlights from Mayor Uran’s presentation include: Crown Point has been voted as the best city in which to live in Indiana and Mayor Uran and everyone who works to make the city great plans on gaining that vote again in 2015. In 2014 a new scheduling system was implemented for the police department adding 7,600 man hours, and reducing the amount of overtime claimed. The number of theft, assault, and burglary incidence have dropped since the implementation. The new Sportsplex is being utilized and has brought in lots of sporting events and tourism and over 500,000 new people come to the City of Crown Point because of the Sportsplex. Over 45,000 people came to Crown Point for the many special events hosted there in 2014, and to help with transportation, a trolley system will be installed in 2015.
“The government’s role is not to be involved in your day-to-day business inside your doors, but if we can put people in front of your doors you can be very successful,” Mayor Uran said. “People can get jobs, buy homes, go to good schools and we’re proud to help make all of that happen.”
Lorri Covaciu, Ed.S presented on behalf of the Merrillville School Corporation. She announced that Merrillville Schools are still remaining strong in their ISTEP scores and the graduation rate is high. The high school was named a model school by the International Center for Leadership in Education and the COSEBOC in 2013, and it has been rated a four-star school for the last three years. All of the schools participated in many service projects in 2014 where they collected donations for the Humane Society of NWI, the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society, and Riley’s Children’s Hospital.
“We always strive for excellence,” Covaciu said. “The only reason that we are successful is because of the community relationships that we have, the rigor of courses we offer to our children, the relevance what we teach them, and funding… With the relationships, the rigor, the relevance, and the funding we have the Merrillville advantage and we are a successful school system.”
Finally, Karen Lauerman presented on behalf of the Lake County Economic Alliance. The LCEA is an economic development organization that focuses on Lake County. It supports the growth of businesses and new quality investments which will bring more jobs to Lake County. Since October 2014 they have marketed their community, their assets, and their county through partnerships, site selectors, special events, tradeshows, conferences, and more. There have been over 70 site visits and over 40 site visits across Lake County and as of now there are 27 active projects by industry cluster. Eight of these projects are estimated to result in $240 million dollars in investment and 1,000 new jobs in the coming three years.
“We truly are a county of opportunity,” Lauerman said. “Both Crown Point and Merrillville have been very supportive of the effort along with the Chambers of Commerce and all of the business leaders here.”
At the end of the event was a question and answer session with all of the speakers. Guests filled out notecards with questions that they wanted a particular speaker to answer, then Reed read them aloud. Lots of great information and news was revealed by all of the presenters and everyone left feeling good about the accomplishments in the region, and excited about what was to soon take place in their communities.