05-2007 Newsletter - Laserfiche WebLink

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SOUTHA11 . BEND MAY 2007 11 a j/ n �}" 6 v1 '%� Mayoa 9TT n L LurckT Letter from the Mayor THIS MONTH... Mayor's Letter Dear Friends &Neighbors, Summer in South Bend! This month I'd like to share with you some of the progress we have made in -Aqua Adventures our City. From business parks to artists'galleries to clean rivers, our public invest- -Summer Music Series ment in infrastructure and facilities, good planning, and work with the private sector -Silver Hawks Schedule is breathing new life into South Bend. -Hall of Fame Enshrinement Festival City Celebration - Park After Dark! In the last decade we have demonstrated that a model city stimulates growth Lamppost Lighting Program - Insert and development: • Erskine Commons and Village: 900,000 sq. ft. -$60+million in retail investmment • Blackthorn and Airport Economic Development Area-$1/2Billion invested New—PEI Genesis, Schafer Gear,McCormick and Co.,Federal Mogul Substantial investments in new equipment and facilities • New—Holladay Corporation-Portage Prairie Phase 1-500-acre new development$300 million-private investment and 3,000 to 4,000 new jobs Partnerships have been key to supporting neighborhoods and protecting the environment is an important part of our Smart Growth strategy We have invested in our neighborhoods by becoming good stewards of Building Neighborhoods the environment. The City is actively reclaiming brownfield sites and • 2006—South Bend's eleventh straight year returning them to productive use. with 100+ new home starts • Former landfill at Fredrickson Park—New Morris-1st Source Boy • City has invested over$20 million in Scout Service Center housing programs during the last ten years. • Erskine Commons —former 13-acre dump • Assistance to first-time home-buyers, • 160+acres of abandoned Studebaker and Oliver Plow development rehab loans and residential enhancement have been demolished and cleaned, attracting new investment grants, new homes on vacant lots,Annual • LED traffic lights technology conserves energy and resources. Rebuilding Together volunteer effort. • Our largest environmental effort—Cleanup of the St. Joseph River. In 1991, 2 billion gallons of combined sewage and stormwater overflowed into the river every year. We have already reduced that amount by 58%. Over the next six years we will reduce it by another 40%. • Over$15 million dollars has been invested in the last decade in facilities that improve quality of life and health and fitness and in award-winning wellness initiatives like"We Can" and"Weight Winners." These facilities and programs are integral to our City's health and well being Another mark of a model city's vitality is its quality of life-South Bend is a leading center for arts and culture: There is so much to see and do in South Bend. ArtBeat, Hip!Pocket and tree outdoor concert series bring tens of thousands of people downtown to enjoy art and music. An urban art scene has blossomed at galleries like Spurious Fugitive, Studio 815, and SBRMA. This year, City Celebration will be presenting a full slate of family events. I am especially proud to highlight the new use for the Natatorium on West Washington. What was once a place of discord will become a Civil Rights Heritage Center, a repository and resource for our local struggle for equality and reconciliation. Celebrating its 50th Anniv. the South Bend Civic Theater is now at home in beautifully renovated Scottish Rite building. Today we are fulfilling the promises that we made a decade ago; economic development and a strengthened downtown, a cleaner river and a reemphasis on environmental stewardship, a growing arts scene and nationally recognized performance venues, a commitment to improved health and wellness, a safer city. In my next and final letter on the State of the City Address, I will lay out five new directives that I believe will help us continue on the path of progress into the Age of Cities. Sincerely, Mayor Steve