Terrie Phillips
Staff Writer
On Thursday, March 8, 2007, Mishawaka Mayor Jeff Rea spoke with students at Indiana University South Bend, giving them the State of the City Address.
Rea spoke on the City of Mishawaka and the future plans to expand the city and bring more commerce. He wants to make the city more of a home town. “We are working together to build the best hometown available,” said Rea.
The City of Mishawaka is putting efforts to better city services such as the police department, fire department and water works. “We purchased a new public safety communication system. It is going to really help us prevent crime.”
“The treatment plant is currently treating flows that are at its design capacity of 12 million gallons per day. The expansion is saving the dual purpose of providing capacity for continued growth in the community and will cut annual combined sewer overflow (CSO) volume in-half,” according to State of the City of Mishawaka 2007, www.mishawakacity.com/Text%20Inserts/SOC2007II.pdf.
The city is now home to 50 thousand people, according to Rea. The city has seen great change over the years. “Years ago we were an industrial center, then we became a little more diversified, then we saw a shift in retail, now we have shifted to medical.”
According to www.mynewhospital.org, St. Joseph Regional Medical Center is planning to build a $355 million facility at Edison Lakes. “Multi-story towers will provide 254 in-patient private rooms and baths with a hotel style ambience. A business center will be available to patients and visiting family members. Set on 90 acres, the new facility, located less than 10 miles from the current SJRMC campus, will include a park area with ponds and walkway.”
Rea is anticipating the arrival a Ruth’s Chris, a high-end steak house. With the arrival of this restaurant, Rea hopes some more national names will also come to Mishawaka.
Mishawaka is also developing more green space for the residents to enjoy. “Several years ago we took control of the former Uniroyal facility. The city took control in 1998, in early 2000 we started demolition,” said Rea. “We constructed a great new park,” said Rea. The park includes a three mile river walk.
With new development coming to Mishawaka it is a constantly changing city. The city plans to continue to build more neighborhoods. “We are working on a neighborhood transformation,” said Rea.
Rea is also working on the budget, doing things to help stretch citizen tax dollars by taking perks away from city workers, such as not allowing police to use there police car for personal use, and charging city workers for health insurance.
