Ligonier Mayor Patty Fisel says her cellphone is on 24/7, and she means it.
Among her duties as the third-term mayor of the city in northwest Noble County is providing more housing for a population of 4,400 that doubles in size when the workforce is at work. Workers come from all over northeast Indiana, Michigan and Ohio to take advantage of industrial-sector jobs.
“She's the hardest-working lady I know,” says John Mangona, a local Realtor and president of the Ligonier Industrial Development Corp. The group oversees the city's industrial park, created in 1952 at North Main Street and Perry Road on the city's northwest side.
The economic boom has created a demand for housing of all kinds, and the city, its schools, and infrastructure are poised for the potential influx of residents.
“We just upgraded our sewage department. We are just starting to redo our water department. We are ahead of the game on that,” Fisel says. “I don't see any major problems with us expanding like this.”
The city is set to gain up to 400 more jobs when Forest River, the RV manufacturer from Elkhart, signs a contract with the Ligonier Industrial Development Corp. to purchase 50 acres in the industrial park.