Gary Mayor Eddie Melton highlighted consistent collaboration across city government and improvements throughout the city made in his second full year in charge, while looking ahead to a future spurred by the momentum created now at his annual State of the City Address on Tuesday afternoon.
“The plans that you’re going to see today are going to be charting the way for the next 30 to 40 years for the City of Gary,” Melton said near the front of his remarks at the Embassies of Christ Church on the city’s southeast side.
The two-and-a-half-hour event highlighted numerous leaders in Gary and included speaking time for Police Chief Derrick Cannon, Fire Chief Larry Tillman, Common Council President Linda Barnes-Caldwell and Director of Constituent Services Tiara Williams, among others.
Before the State of the City had truly kicked off, local kids and young adults danced and sang religious songs. Opal Staples belted the National Anthem and the crowd stayed standing for a tribute to the activist and Rev. Jesse Jackson before a rendition of “Lift Every Voice and Sing.”
A full version of Tuesday's address was livestreamed on the City of Gary's YouTube channel.
Rep. Frank J. Mrvan, R-Highland, introduced Melton to the packed house, which included at least 400 community members, by praising Gary’s progress and saying that it is “not accidental.”
“Gary has the right leader at the right time,” Mrvan said.
A near-future vision for downtown Gary
Melton rolled through a myriad of different departments and programs that his administration oversees, from his Blight Blitz initiative to public works, the health department, youth services, code enforcement, constituent services and more. In each, he looked to the past, present and future.
Perhaps that was most clear in a lengthy section that highlighted the future of downtown Gary. Melton said that he felt Genesis Convention Center was a great achievement of Richard Hatcher, “a mentor of mine,” Melton said. And it “hurts” for him to say he’s tearing down something Hatcher worked hard for.
“However, we have to make way for the future,” Melton said. The same is true of the sites that currently house the old Methodist Church, the former Gordon’s Department Store & Annex and the Mecca Building, he said.
In their place, a reimagined downtown could emerge, he said. Melton showcased a possible downtown master plan crafted through Notre Dame’s Housing and Community Regeneration Initiative. It features several multi-use adaptations of existing property and a handful of new construction around Gary City Hall and the nearby courthouse.
It also imagines a future with a new $90 million downtown train station, a “state-of-the-art” $25 million Gary Public Safety facility and a 150-unit housing and retail mixed-use space on the site currently occupied by the Genesis Center.
Melton also highlighted improvements large and small that are already underway, including the forthcoming $150 million Lake County Convention Center, the city’s Downtown East plan, scoreboard repairs at the U.S. Steel Yard and a variety of Gary-wide anchor areas and quality of life investments.
“Economic development is happening around the city,” Melton said. “You may not feel it on your block yet. You may not see it directly in your neighborhood. But it’s on its way.”
Intermodal freight yard under study
Near the end of his presentation, Melton welcomed John Vickerman to the stage to discuss what the mayor called “the future” and “a transformational vision.”
“This is what I want you to know, out of every project that we discussed, that’s going to happen and that’s developing,” Melton said. “This is the next generation of projects that (we believe) will create more jobs, that will increase our tax base.”
Vickerman is looking into a possible freight logistics and rail terminal on Gary’s waterfront near Buffington Harbor and is the president of Vickerman & Associates, which helps plan and design port, intermodal and freight facilities, according to the company’s website.
Vickerman asked the crowd to imagine every East Coast train passing through Gary on its way west through a large logistics facility that would be city-controlled. Today, Chicago’s facilities cannot handle the modern length of a train, which can stretch beyond three miles.
This new facility would handle freight with net-zero emission cranes and deliver a product that would be theoretically cheaper and faster than heading through Chicago, Vickerman said.
“The future is ours to control with quality, economics and environmental quality combined,” Vickerman said. “It’s the way it ought to be done in the future.”
Momentum and progress
Two of the central themes across Melton’s 90-minute address and in the speakers that intertwined and preceded him were repeated consistently: Progress and momentum.
Barnes-Caldwell, the council president, said she was proud of the progress that the city had made. But she was far more excited about the future that lies ahead.
Tillman, the fire chief, said the contract signing that ended a 23-year stalemate last week was “the result of work, commitment and forward progress taking shape in real time.”
Early in the program, several city-produced videos flashed across the screen, highlighting the past year in moments. The voice-over said Gary was experiencing “more than progress.”
“This is momentum you can feel,” the voice said. And Melton’s final words to residents on the stage at Embassies of Christ on Tuesday were emblematic of his State of the City’s recognition of the present and eye on the future.
“I believe the state of the City of Gary is strong and vibrant,” Melton said. “And gaining momentum.”