Much Good News to be Shared at Hobart’s State of the City Address

Much Good News to be Shared at Hobart’s State of the City Address

The expansion of a beloved candy factory, a public transit system, and building up an eco-friendly city are just some major highlights on the City of Hobart’s horizon.

Hobart’s professionals, leaders, and supporters gathered en mass Wednesday morning to discuss the city’s reflections of 2017 and of upcoming news for this year. From new life-saving tools in the hands of the city’s first responders to parks projects, several of the city’s officials gave the inside scoop and answered questions at the Community Center in Festival Park overlooking Hobart’s beloved lake.

Click Here for More Photos!

“It’s been a great year,” City of Hobart Mayor Brian Snedecor said, addressing the crowd. “To think, we’ve been through these challenges and the victories as a community. You see our new businesses and downtown, you see the new restaurants going in, some of them are here today. Our downtown growth, the work we’ve done in our downtown, our park improvements… There’s so much to talk about; our events are now reaching record attendance, and every year it keeps going up. It’s just been an amazing voyage.”

This was Hobart’s second State of the City this year, the first being aimed at general community members, while this event’s focus was on informing the business community. Attendees enjoyed cuisine courtesy of Lake Park Restaurant, and goodies were raffled from business cards.

Lisa Winstead, Executive Director of Hobart Chamber of Commerce, said there’s a lot of street and beautification projects in bloom this year making a buzz in the business community.

“We’ve got a great mix of business owners here today, from small business to larger ones like South Lake Mall, the turn out is great,” Winstead said. “It’s the biggest one we have had. We have leaders from other towns and cities here, too.”

Staff from Senator Joe Donnelly and Representative Pete Visclosky's offices were also present to say some words of encouragement and appreciation for Hobart’s officials.

Some notables of city growth include new subdivisions, new businesses, and downtown preservation initiatives. Sergio Mendoza, city planner, cited implementing a public transit system for Hobart.

“We’ve had several businesses come to us and local residents saying, ‘I really need support with transit opportunities,’” Mendoza said. “We did a study and now we’re looking at implementing this in our community, to help meet the many needs of our residents from millennials who don’t want to drive to senior citizens who no longer feel like they want to drive, or even residents who need a means to go to work, and we’ve noticed that this would increase job opportunities.”

Hobart Economic Development Director Denarie Kane touched on the successful industrial development from 2017, and some “sweet” projects ahead. Hobart has worked with Albanese Confectionary to help them acquire more than $30 million of new equipment so the company can expand another production line. Another big project that’s been a victory for the city is the reconstruction on 61st Avenue.

“That was many years in the making,” Kane said. “We’re proud that project is done. That probably represented the most expensive capital improvement project the City of Hobart has undertaken, and it was delivered on time and on budget.”

This summer will also bring construction to Hobart’s downtown to refresh and enhance the streetscape, which Kane said should be completed by the end of the year.

The city’s new Fire Department Chief Randy Smith also had news to share- Hobart being the third busiest fire department in Lake County, behind Gary and Hammond. The Mayor and first responders showcased a life-saving piece of technology that they’ve begun to acquire. The Lucas Chest Compression System is a tool that essentially gives those experiencing cardiac arrest automatic chest compressions, freeing up emergency responders’ hands to administer other crucial care in an emergency situation.

“It’s a life-saving tool, so its very important to us,” Smith said. “We have one of these devices now, and our goal is to have one on every ambulance in the city here soon.”

Other notables included the possible addition of pickle ball courts, dam repairs from flooding, and the addition of the compressed natural gas station in Hobart, reducing greenhouse gases by 95 percent. Nikki Lopez, event director for Hobart, was also happy to announce Hobart’s fields will host National Softball Association Northern World Series.

As Snedcore closed out the event, he thanked everyone who makes up the diverse and thriving community of Hobart.

“I hope you all came away from this thinking that the city is here for you,” Snedecor said. “Because that’s what it’s all about.”