Mayor touts success

A year of success.
Portland Mayor Bruce Hosier hopes that 2011 will be “another solid year of success.”
Hosier gave his state of the city address Tuesday afternoon during a Jay County Chamber of Commerce luncheon. The mayor focused on the city’s triumphs during 2010 and his hopes for this year during the meeting at Jay County Hospital.
Hosier listed the city’s accomplishments in 2010 — including the completion of Katelynn Place subsidized apartments and the near-completion of Hudson Family Park. He also mentioned the Lafayette Street extension project — which is scheduled to begin this year — and the Steen Addition sewer separation project, which is still being completed.
Plans call for Lafayette Street to be extended west to Industrial Park Drive, with work expected to begin this spring.
Also in late 2010, city officials learned that Portland is one of 12 finalists for the Indiana Stellar Communities Grant program. This program is made up of funds from the Indiana Housing and Community Development Authority, Indiana Office of Community and Rural Affairs and the Indiana Department of Transportation.
The city could receive $4 to $5 million in grant funds to make improvements on the city’s north side.
The grant requires $600,000 in matching grant funds. This amount would be made up of $200,000 each from Portland Economic Development Income Tax funds, cumulative capital development funds and cumulative capital improvement funds.
If awarded the grant funds, the money would be used to create a pedestrian trail, to assist in a $5.8 million north side sewer separation project, to make improvements to Milton Miller Park, to help pay for façade improvements to businesses located along North Meridian Street and house and rental property improvements.
The two cities chosen for the grant will be named March 1.
“This will not only change the dynamics in a positive manner for the north side, it will also have a positive impact city-wide,” he said.
Also Tuesday, Hosier said the city’s successes can be attributed to the hard work of city employees and boards.
“Citizens require and deserve our best efforts every day.”  
He said building partnerships in the community, and also overseas, may be the key to growth and job stability.
“Success in communities does not happen by accident,” he said, adding 160 new jobs were created in the county in 2010, and about 1,500 jobs were retained.[[In-content Ad]]