HomeMy WebLinkAbout07-06-2012 National Public Radio Covers the City of South Bend SpU TH 8F
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CITY OF SOUTH BEND
PETE BUTTIGIEG, MAYOR
OFFICE OF THE MAYOR
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
July 6, 2012
Contact:Debra Johnson,Director of Communications
Phone: 574-235-5853
NATIONAL PUBLIC RADIO COVERS THE CITY OF SOUTH BEND
SOUTH BEND National Public Radio's "All Things Considered" featured South Bend
yesterday as part of its Cities series. NPR Reporter Sonari Glinton traveled to South Bend
to talk with Mayor Pete Buttigieg,residents,and business owners to craft a story about
the rebirth of the City, once home to the mighty Studebaker automobile manufacturing
company.
"Our economic and social health depends on connections that reach beyond the city
limits,to the rest of the region, country,and world,"Mayor Buttigieg said of the NPR
feature. "South Bend is taking control of its fixture,and others are taking note."
Mayor Buttigieg explained to Glinton that although the local economy was severely
impacted by the closure of Studebaker in 1963, South Bend has found new methods to
leverage itself in the data economy. For example,the largest of the remaining
Studebaker buildings is set to become a state-of-the-art"Renaissance Center"for
computer storage and other technological advancements.Nearby, old Studebaker sites
have been repurposed to become Ignition Park,a site where tech businesses can locate
and expand.
"Part of the Studebaker legacy is one of the most robust electrical infrastructure systems
in the Midwest,"Mayor Buttigieg said. "The city is surrounded by a high-capacity,
redundant transmission loop, and four transmission substations each receive power from
two other substations,all at an unprecedented industrial cost of 6.23 cents per kilowatt-
hour. South Bend's mild climate can help with cooling off data centers. The city also has
advantages with its relatively cheap utility costs and close proximity to fiber optic lines
that run along old highway and railway right-of-ways."
To hear the story visit NPR's website for"All Things Considered" or use this link:
http://www.npr.org/2012/07/05/155916837/a-company-town-reinvents-itself-in-south-
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1400 COUNTY-CITY BUILDING- 227 W.JEFFERSON BOULEVARD-SOUTH BEND,INDIANA 46601
PHONE 574/235-9261 FAx 574/235-9892