A number of positive trends were mentioned by leaders in the communities of Crown Point and Merrillville during the annual State of the Region luncheon held Tuesday at the Crown Point Courthouse.
Crown Point Mayor David Uran stressed the ‘region’ aspect of the address.
“We know we are only as good as the surrounding communities,” Uran said. “We all need to do our part to make the region stronger.”
Uran did tout Crown Point and the “strong financial state” the city finds itself.
“The city makes great strides in the quality of life for our residents and visitors,” he said. “We have been ranked as the best place to live in Northwest Indiana and the city with the best downtown.”
The city has led the region in the construction of new homes over the last four years and has attracted a number of new businesses, including Bickford, Culver’s and Speedway.
Special events, the mayor said, are “a big part” of pulling people together in the downtown area. The city-wide picnic, Oktoberfest event, Farmer’s Market and car cruise were some of the examples he showcased.
2013 was “an unbelievable year” for local parks, Uran added.
“We saw new softball fields and 250 additional parking spaces that have brought in six new youth tournaments,” he said. “This all supports our business community because people come here for the sports but bring their pocket books with them.” Phase III of the park improvement project will see even more amenities added in 2014.
The police force in Crown Point and Merrillville were touted by both Uran and Shawn Pettit, vice president of the Merrillville Town Council.
“When you see more police on the streets, that is a good thing,” Uran said, noting that three new officers were added to the department over the last year. “Our population is growing and we are matching that by hiring more officers.”
Crime in seven of the eight major statistics reported to the FBI decreased over the last year in Merrillville, Pettit explained - noting a 50 percent decrease in area arsons. “Our force has done an outstanding job in making the streets of Merrillville safer,” he said.
Pettit said it has been “a very busy” year for construction in the town.
“We had a total renovation of Town Hall and improvements with our landscapes and parks,” he said, noting the total construction cost in the town over the last year has been somewhere around $57 million.
He also announced the planned paving of a good portion of Merrillville Road for 2014. Other future plans for the town include developing their historic district and developing a master plan to recognize and preserve historic buildings.
Education in Merrillville is also one-of-a-kind, explained Dr. Mark Sperling, superintendent of Merrillville Schools.
“We do not accept failure and do our best to ensure every student in our district succeeds,” he said.
Salk Elementary School has been a gold standard in the area, with ISTEP averages of the 98th percentile in english and the 95th percentile in mathematics. The school also was distinguished as a blue ribbon school and a Title I district school. Salk was one of four elementary schools in Merrillville to receive an ‘A’ grade from the state, with the only other elementary school in the area receiving a ‘B.’
Merrillville High School’s percentage of African-American graduates has been higher than their Caucasian counterparts, Sperling said, noting that students from the school have recently gone on to attend highly-touted Division I universities such as Yale, Harvard, Notre Dame, MIT and Cornell.
“We are the only school in Indiana with a significant percentage of disenfranchised students that received an ‘A’ grade from the state," Sperling said.
Dr. Teresa Eineman, superintendent of Crown Point Schools, spoke on the corporation’s dedication to the success of every student.
“We currently have a 98 percent graduation rate, and we will reach 100 percent,” she said. “We are committed to the success of every student in the corporation.”
She stressed the importance of participation, and how it correlates to success in the classroom.
“The more students participate in clubs, the better chance they have to perform well in school,” she said. “Our goal is to have 100 percent of our students active in some sort of high-performing activity.”
Organized by the Crossroads Regional Chamber of Commerce, the two neighboring towns have been holding the State of the Region address yearly since it was merged in 2011.