COLUMBUS, Ind. – A crowd estimated at over 200 attended the Columbus State of the City address on Wednesday evening at the Circle K Fieldhouse at NexusPark. City Council Vice President Grace Kestler made opening remarks, an invocation was given by Pastor Frank Griffin, and Columbus North senior Natalie Cantu-Garcia sang the national anthem.
Mayor Mary Ferdon approached the podium to a standing ovation and applause. She praised the other activities taking place in the fieldhouse, as little league baseball and volleyball practices were happening on either side of the venue.
According to the mayor, Circle K Fieldhouse has been booked solid for many months, and just recently held a gymnastics event with over 800 gymnasts competing. Other focuses on the development included the AEI Fitness Center opening, and the outdoor park, named the Midtown Green, coming sometime this summer.
Mayor Ferdon stressed the importance of making Columbus a great place to live and mentioned that three housing developments will break ground this year. The city has also devoted $500,000 to the United Way of Batholomew County to help its efforts in eradicating homelessness in the county. Lastly, due to the increased population and conditions of the Columbus Animal Shelter, plans for a new building will be released in the fall.
The city’s 38th mayor mentioned that the initial stages of the Downtown 2030 study have helped the city and the firm Sasaki start building a path that will grow Columbus. Some key issues that have been brought up by the community include Mill Race Park, wayfinding, streetscape, housing, programming, and parking. A blueprint for the Columbus Downtown 2030 plan is expected to be released later this year. You can participate by taking the survey here. The mayor also said that the city has moved away from the original riverfront project, and will now work to fix the dam and extend the People Trail.
She closed her speech by quoting J. Irwin Miller, stating, “We would like to see this community come to be not the cheapest, but the very best community of its size in the country.” Ferdon added that the state of the city is strong saying, “Our strength comes from our legacy of partnerships and recognition of opportunities, and our willingness to take risks to lean into challenges.”
The full speech can be viewed here.
