LAPORTE — Mayor Tom Dermody touted a long list of accomplishments this year, ranging from major infrastructure upgrades to new housing development, in his State of the City speech Monday.
Despite the many achievements, Dermody said his vision for what LaPorte can be has not fully materialized.
“We still have a lot of work to do,” he said.
Dermody began his 30-minute speech at the Civic Auditorium by revealing his administration operates on the guiding principles of “setting high standards, competing with and for the best and expecting to win.”
He’s wrapping up his fifth year as mayor following a 10-year run in the state legislature.
Dermody said reconstruction of Truesdell Avenue, including new sidewalks, has turned Fox Park into more of a summer destination for things like annual concerts and the walking trail around Clear Lake.
He said another dent was placed into the estimated $100 million needed to replace aging water and sewer lines with the work completed on I Street and adjacent neighborhoods.
Dermody said more “ancient” water and sewer lines will start being replaced next year on Indiana Avenue with help from a $1 million federal grant along with state funding for the cost of repaving.
He said another $2.5 million in federal funds were secured to improve drainage on Boyd Boulevard, a project that makes it possible for the city’s industrial base on the east side to grow. That work is expected to begin in the spring.
“This is what government should be, putting politics aside and getting things done,” Dermody said.
Dermody said the year was also marked by the start of construction on 200 or more new homes at various price levels, and by drawing closer to breaking ground on other residential developments such as the more upscale Beechwood Lakes, a 110-unit subdivision planned beside Beechwood Municipal Golf Course.
He also revealed more than 40 affordable homes should begin going up next year on a portion of Scott Field and inside the old Washington School building.
Dermody said the biggest new investment was landed in June when the city struck a deal for Microsoft to construct a $1 billion data center on nearly 500 acres on Boyd Boulevard just east of U.S. 35.
Other commercial successes included the ongoing construction of a Chipotle restaurant on Pine Lake Avenue and an agreement to start building a family fun center next year at nearby NewPorte Landing.
Other successes cited by Dermody this year included annexation of the 39 North Conservancy District and the new residential and industrial growth starting to occur there already.
He said keeping the city clean remained a top priority with over 3,400 code violations issued, so far this year, along with 250 loads of furniture and other unwanted materials in public use dumpsters taken to a landfill.
Dermody also said 9,600 pot holes were filled, an increase of 4,000 from the previous year.
The goal is to fill each pot hole within 48 hours after it is reported.
Dermody said the 79 drug-related arrests made by the police department is an extension of a commitment to eliminate drugs locally as a major problem.
“People will doubt our ability to win this war, but why would we not set our standards high when it comes to protecting our youth and the community?” he said.
City Attorney Nick Otis said the word “Relentless” on one of the t-shirts Dermody likes to give away to promote pride in the community describes the mayor’s work ethic and what he demands from his administrators.
“Some department heads may, occasionally, use the word exhausting. The mayor is truly relentless when it comes to improving our city,” Otis said.
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