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City in the spotlight as unemployment dips below state average

Last Updated on August 12, 2019 by cassnetwork

Since 2016, we have invited Logansport Mayor Dave Kitchell to share updates from the city in a monthly column on CassCountyOnline.com.

It isn’t often when the unemployment rates in Lafayette, Indianapolis and Kokomo are higher than they are here in Cass County.

That was the case in June. Our local rate was just 3.2 percent, tying the county for 44th place among the state’s 92 counties. While unemployment is even lower in Carroll, White, Pulaski and Fulton counties, it is higher in the two largest counties contiguous to us – Miami and Howard.

Those numbers bode well for the local economy which was featured last month for the first time on Inside Indiana Business. Logansport was the focus of the lead sentiment of the initial installment of the long-running television show which airs in every television market in Indiana along with Louisville, Ky. The continued successes of Tyson Foods and the growth of our advanced manufacturing sector along with our participation in the new Wabash Heartland Innovation Network were all mentioned along with several local employers – Myers Spring, Matthew Warren, Logan Stampings and Memorial Hospital to name a few.

That exposure hasn’t hurt interest in our city. Housing developers continue to approach the city and express interest in building more homes and apartments here. Construction of the 30 new ReVere Homes properties have been moving ahead this summer with several houses on the west side under roof already.

City funds for BHJ, commonly known as “Protein,” and Myers Spring were approved. Combined, those two projects represent a $20 million investment in the local economy and more jobs.

July’s dryness allowed construction of the new Market Street Bridge to move ahead and a faster pace. As August dawned, new spans stretched across the piers in the river as the skeleton of a new bridge takes shape. Construction will be completed this fall.

Our city Street Department coordinated paving efforts that will begin soon on High Street. In advance of paving, new access ramps at intersections are being installed between Third Street and 24th. This project will be completed early in the school year, and the department has already installed more pedestrian crosswalk signs in the Franklin Elementary School neighborhoods.

Logansport’s Fourth of July observance was well attended at Riverside Park. The city parks and recreation board examined the first draft of a master plan for Riverside Park’s redevelopment, a much-needed plan to upgrade facilities, parking and other amenities.

While many baseball seasons came to a close, two of our parks league all-star teams advanced to regional competition in Wisconsin. Congratulations to the players, coaches, parents and sponsors who made that possible and who are continuing our community’s baseball tradition.

The third annual Sue Jones Invitational Softball Tourney was a success, drawing its largest crowd of teams to date. With improvements made by the league at Aim-Hi Park, the tournament promises to be an even larger one next year. It’s also worth mentioning that one of our own city employees, Assistant Police Chief Dan Frye, has been chosen to be the new LHS baseball coach. It marks the first time a lay coach will lead the program. It’s another example of the number of city employees who are actively involved in organizations and programs that impact the young people in our community.

As we look ahead to the coming weeks, our administration and the city council will be involved in preparing the 2020 city budget. While there is growth projected in our budget numbers, I have asked department heads to insert 3 percent raises for employees in the proposed budget I will present to the council. Three of our six peer cities are preparing budgets that will have a 3 percent increase or higher. With cuts I expect to make in the budget, I will do all that I can to put our employees first in the budget process.

As always, it is a privilege to serve Logansport as your mayor. If you have a compliment, a complaint or a concern, please don’t hesitate to contact me at 574-753-2551 or via e-mail at dkitchell@cityoflogansport.org.

Cass County Online