Greenwood mayor prepares for State of the City address
GREENWOOD, Ind. (WISH) – Growth and public safety are just two of the topics Greenwood’s mayor says he’ll focus on in his State of the City address Friday afternoon.
Mayor Mark Myers sat down with 24-Hour News 8 before his fifth State of the City address to discuss his past four years in office, and the direction he sees the city going in his second term.
“The city has gone at record speed, I think in the last four years, and we’re going to continue that momentum,” said Myers.
Myers says his top priority moving forward is expanding public safety. He says the city added three police officers and three firefighters last year, but they’re still understaffed.
He says he will continue to fight at the state level for a food and beverage tax in the city that could go to fund public safety.
“I’m not giving up hope, and I’m going to continue to fight that fight and work through the Statehouse to get that approved someday, so that we could be able to use that money toward public safety. I think it’s a good thing. Taxes generally aren’t a good thing, but when you turn around and use them for public services, I think that’s the right thing,” said Myers.
Myers says they’ve replaced over half of their police vehicle fleet, which he says saves the city money with less maintenance costs. They’re also working to replace all the dump trucks in the city. They’ve replaced half of them already.
Another main focus? The growth happening throughout the city, says Myers, isn’t slowing down.
“Four years ago, people were afraid of a wrecking ball, and the businesses were 75 percent vacant [downtown]. Today, they’re 90 percent full. That’s a great testament to what our city council and our redevelopment commission has done, by investing in our downtown area and watching it grow.”
“The facade enhancement that we’re doing now is just the start of things to come. You’re going to see so many changes in the downtown area. We’re looking at purchasing other pieces of property, and we’re looking at redoing some of the old buildings. There’s a lot that’s going to go on in the downtown area,” said Myers.
“We’re going to be working on a project to connect from County Line Rd to Smith Valley Road. We’re going to redo the facade, the look, we’re going to add more walkability space.”
Myers says they’ll also talk about the parks department, the success of the city’s new water park, Freedom Springs, and his goal to continue expanding the trail system and make the city more walkable. He says they’d like to expand their dog parks, as well.
And the plans don’t stop there.
Myers says they’d also like to take a look at traffic patterns and the size of the sidewalks from Smith Valley Road to the mall, and also add more downtown eateries.
Myers says he’s also looking forward to the new Greenwood Town Center set to come in on the city’s east side near County Line and I-65.
Greenwood’s State of the City address is set for noon Friday.