Article is from the November issue of the WRite Stuff
It is autumn but feels like winter. The last week of October we experienced rain, sleet, high winds and snow. Leaves have turned colors and are dropping at a rapid pace. Still, the weather conditions did not diminish the spirit and support for the Veterans Day Ceremony sponsored by the Whiting Lions Club at the Forsythe Park War Memorial. Many thanks to the Whiting Lions Club and all the contributors, sponsors, volunteers, and in-kind support provided by local vendors and the Hammond Port Authority. A special thank-you goes to Andy Dybel for coordinating the event. He does such a good job it almost seems to run itself - a true indicator of Andy’s skills as a planner, coordinator and emcee.
Although the weather was wintry and wet, we had over 100 trick-or-treaters at our house on Halloween. I stopped by the “Trunk or Treat” events sponsored by St. Casimir and Hermits, which were very successful and continue to grow every year. Hermits also had a hayride and spook trail, which were big hits.
In other news, the 2020 Hammond City Budget was passed recently by a vote of 8 in favor, 1 opposed. Once again, I was the lone “no” vote. I oppose district gaming dollars leaving the districts. The Developmental Agreement between the city and the casino indicates each district’s portion of gaming revenue ($3,500,000) be used in the district for infrastructure. The budget that was passed keeps $1,750,000 in each of the 6 districts. $350,000 goes to the RDA (Regional Development Authority) per state mandate. The balance - $1,400,000 - is being used for other purposes as determined by the administration. This practice has been occurring for the better part of the past 10 years. It is a special hardship for the 1st District, which has the most miles of roads and underground sewer, sanitary and water lines, not to mention some of the oldest infrastructure in the city.
Due to this situation, I will recommend that the Hammond City Council hire an outside attorney to determine whether we are operating in accordance with the developmental agreement. I also believe an outside consultant hired by the council would be helpful in determining how the dollars leaving the districts are spent.
Other news: The circus is coming to the Hammond Civic Center on November 29 and 30 and December 1st. Call 853-6378 for details. The Hammond Holiday Parade is scheduled for Saturday December 7 at 10a.m. Call 853-6378 or visit gohammond.com. Remember to visit the Senior Center at Pulaski Park. It is open on Tuesdays and Thursdays 9a.m. to 3p.m. Enjoy a cup of coffee, cards, light exercise, puzzles, movies, occasional guest speakers, and more. Thank you to all the volunteers that provide a warm, welcoming touch to the Senior Center.
Have a bountiful Thanksgiving holiday.
Across the Mayor's Desk
Article is from the November issue of the WRite Stuff
Let’s start this month with discussing our recent State Community Crossings road grant. The City was recently awarded a grant of $1 million to reconstruct 119th Street and to install new sidewalks along the stretch. At this time, the boundaries of the project are from Schrage Avenue to Atchison Avenue. The project will also include new streetscape amenities like benches, flowerpots, signage, tree grating, etc. The $1 million grant will be matched with nearly a million dollars of local money taking the overall project to just short of $2 million. This project will be extremely complicated for several reasons. One being that we are on a tight timeline to maintain compliance with the grant guidelines. Also, maintaining access to every business on the street during construction will be challenging. The good news is at the end of the day, this project will significantly enhance the business district, improve sidewalk safety and it won’t need to be redone for another 25+ years. Stay tuned for greater detail on the scope and timing of the project.
Now I’m sure everyone knows all about “Murphy’s Law.” If you don’t, here’s an explanation. Murphy's Law is an adage or epigram that is typically stated as: "Anything that can go wrong will go wrong." So I wanted everyone to understand this before making the following statements! The City of Whiting has now officially complied with all the requirements needed to establish our ‘Quiet Zone’ or whistle ban area. Unless Murphy himself stops in town to wreak havoc on the plan, on November 26th at 12:01 a.m., the horns will be finally silenced! This has been an extraordinary process that I could write a book about, but it appears to be finally coming to an end. I’ll personally believe it when I hear it and I may even camp out at 12:01 that night to witness it for myself. Please remember that this status is contingent on everyone playing by the rules and a railroad engineer still has the right to supersede the ban by sounding the horns whenever he/she feels a danger exists. We have also been told that it will take a few months for the railroads to become 100% compliant, so they are asking for our patience. Maintaining the long-term zone status is also contingent on the number of future accidents at these crossings. I have instructed our Police Department to maintain a ‘zero tolerance’ policy toward any driver bypassing an active crossing gate. I will hopefully be drinking a glass of champagne on November 26th in celebration and please don’t call me to complain that you can’t sleep because it’s too quiet!
I’ll close with two quick topics that are worth mentioning. First, the City has recently settled a longstanding lawsuit involving the construction of the lakefront revetment (shoreline rock). Our contention was that it was improperly designed and the City should be compensated for the additional work that we performed to strengthen the original installation. While we have agreed to not release the specifics of the settlement, we have received a significant sum that will allow us to fully repair the existing revetment and make other needed improvements at the Lakefront. The second topic involves the processing of future ordinance violations. With the City Court ceasing operations at the end of the year, a new system to administer City Ordinance violations is being put in place. The Board of Public Works will now act as the hearing board for such violations. We will provide more detailed information in next month’s WRite Stuff to be sure everyone is aware of the changes.
Till next month…Mayor Joe
Mayor Joe can be reached via email at jstahura@whitingindiana.com
Mayor Joe Stahura
City of Whiting