Aim Hometown Innovations E-Magazine, Issue 5

HOMETOWN

INNOVATIONS TOGETHER, OUTDOORS I S S U E #5

Unique ways municipalities are bulding community while keeping people healthy

Award Winning Communities Digital Playgrounds Creative Art Projects 1

THANK YOU TO 2020 - 2021 AIM PRESIDENT MAYOR JOE THALLEMER! Dear Members, While our organization goes back about 130 years, we don’t have a written history for each of those years. We have a good idea of how we started. We came together as a collective of local officials trying to combat horse thievery in northeastern Indiana. And, we know that our name has changed a few times over the past century. We also know that until Mayor Joe Thallemer, we never before had a mayor elected president of Aim, serving in the first year after a major municipal election cycle, during a multi-year global pandemic, while also serving as the president of a growing health insurance pool, the Aim Medical Trust.

Where do I start about our outgoing President? My inclination is to tell you what an all-around great guy he is – that he’s kind, funny, smart as hell, etc., etc. But when describing your leader for the last two years I probably need to stick to what his service has meant to our organization and why we should thank him for leading us through the most unusual, unpredictable of circumstances. Yes, you read that correctly. He led this organization as President for two years, at the request of his peers, to maintain continuity as we all navigated some rather rough seas.

Mayor Thallemer has taken his leadership roles in Aim seriously from day one. He jumped right in as the incoming Aim president and attended multiple Newly Elected Officials meetings held in late 2019 and early 2020. He didn’t do it because it was required by the Aim Constitution, he did it because he has worn the same shoes as every incoming official and he wanted to put Aim’s best foot forward.

Additional travel, additional time away

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from his city, family, and away from his other interests, all to help his fellow elected officials get through the tough first few months as municipal officials.

As an early advocate for Aim’s 2017 modernization, Mayor Thallemer has never waivered from our strategy of relationship building and grassroots advocacy to help lawmakers understand the role municipalities play in the overall health and economic well-being of our state. He attended countless meetings with legislators, participated in strategy discussions, championed our legislative victories, and helped us dust off our pants after something at the statehouse didn’t go our way. He has made tough phone calls asking for votes for bills and votes against bills – whatever was needed to improve municipal governance and keep our cities and towns nimble and efficient.

When COVID hit, Mayor Thallemer was the right person at the right time.

Always wanting to learn more about what was happening in Indianapolis and Washington D.C., and how state and federal actions could affect municipalities. Always wanting to communicate the latest information to our members in the fastest possible timeframe. Always suggesting ideas for how Aim could assist our members through education, resources, executive branch discussions, and so much more. Mayor Thallemer’s consistent support for Governor Holcomb as he maneuvered so many moving pieces fostered an even greater respect between the Governor’s office and Aim staff and our membership.

While Mayor Thallemer knew the pandemic was a horrible situation for each and every one of us, he saw it as an opportunity to be present for our members in a way we had never been called upon before. And while in some respects many have moved past the

pandemic, Mayor Thallemer continues to ask tough questions, test our decisions in the most respectful way possible, and look out for any potential landmines.

As I stated earlier, among Mayor Thallemer’s accomplishments as Aim President is that he did so while also serving as President of the Aim Medical Trust Board of Trustees. The Trust now serves about 10,000 municipal employees and their dependents. As Mayor Thallemer likes to say, that’s a lot of bellybuttons! The Trust, during this global health crisis, has provided excellent service in response to rapidly changing expectations, such as COVID testing, vaccination needs, as well as an increased demand for mental health services. Under Mayor Thallemer’s leadership, the Trust gave it’s members a one-month premium holiday in early 2021 and in 2022 Trust members will average a rate decrease of almost 5%.

Yes, Aim does have a long history.

Just being around for a long time, however, is not nearly as important as the people who have guided us along the way. I have been lucky to be in my position as Aim CEO during times of such great leadership by our officers, board members, and the people we serve. Mayor Thallemer’s impressive service represents one extraordinary and historic example of the many strong leaders we’ve had along the way. I hope each of you will join me in thanking him for his two very long years in service to Aim.

Matt Greller Chief Executive Officer, Aim

HOMETOWN INNOVATIONS MAGAZINE

Fall 2021 | Issue #5 COVER STORY

In This Issue Zionsville Digital Playground.......................................................................5 Aim Hometown Innovations Podcast.........................................................6 Community Annual Awards Program Winners.........................................8 Umbrella Art Insallation in Batesville.......................................................10

Fort Wayne: All America City PAGE 21

Individual Annual Awards Program Winners..........................................13 Ligonier Becomes the City of Murals.......................................................14 Taffic Control Box Art, Muncie..................................................................18 Fort Wayne named All America City ........................................................21

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Zionsville Parks implements Indiana’s first digital playground To the naked eye Mulberry Fields Park in Zionsville looks as it usually does – an open grass-field bordered by a skate park, basketball court and splash pad.

But look a little closer and you can see a fantasy land full of digital kittens, robots and dinosaurs.

The Zionsville Parks and Recreation Department has partnered with Geo AR Games to create this virtual-reality world, transforming Mulberry Fields into a digital playground that can be explored through smart phones and tablets. The park is one of the first in the nation and the very first in the state of Indiana to implement this technology that was developed by the New Zealandbased company.

From August through October, visitors were able to download the free Magical Park app onto personal mobile devices and then play augmented reality games within the park’s confines. The games are motion activated and allow users to interact with computer-generated objects that appear on screen as they move through the park.

Mindy Murdock, Zionsville’s Director of Recreation Services, explained that she and her staff were looking for ways to engage tween-aged kids – kids approximately between the ages of 9 and 12 – when she discovered Magical Park and Geo AR Games back in 2020.

In Murdock’s view, part of the challenge with this age group and young teenagers is luring them away from their phones and devices. Fortunately, Magical Park offers a clever marriage of screen time and physical activity.

and cleaning up your choice of a park or an ocean.

According to the Geo AR Games website, on average kids run between 500 meters and two kilometers (over 1.2 miles) while playing one of the games.

“We can’t reverse technology or progress, nor should we try,” Murdock said. “What we can do is create healthy relationships with technology by using the screen to get kids outdoors and moving around. Using augmented reality is also an opportunity to reach older kids in our community and motivate them to get out and use our parks.”

Murdock noted that the games may remind users of the popular Pokémon Go augmented reality mobile game that became wildly popular for a time in 2016. The main difference is that the Magical Park app games are ‘geofenced.’

In other words, the games are contained to the park’s parameters as opposed to Pokémon Go which existed in a seemingly endless playing field.

Murdock came up with the idea to bring this technology to Mulberry Fields when she stumbled upon a news article out of Florida. A park in Coral Gables had become the first in the U.S. to implement a digital playground through the Magical Park app. Murdock was intrigued and called up the app’s creators to begin the process of bringing the magic to Zionsville.

“It’s unique and something different,” Murdock said. “So I was like, ‘hey, let’s give it a shot and see what we can pull in and see what people might think about it.’”

The Zionsville Parks and Recreation Department has contracted the app for three months this fall, but Murdock says her team will study the usage data and conduct a community-wide survey after the trial period ends. Depending on the results, Zionsville may bring the experience back full time in 2022.

“There’s a safety feature there, so that parents don’t need to worry about the kids just wandering into the parking lot or over to the road,” Murdock said. “The game itself will tell them they need to stop and turn back around if they want to keep playing. It’s nice to have that feature.”

“It’s exciting to be one of the only parks in the state to offer this app and to be on the cutting edge of technology, play and outdoor recreation,” said Mayor Emily Styron. “This is a great opportunity for outdoor play in a fun, safe environment and gets kids to explore our parks in a unique way.” ∎∎∎

The app itself offers users a choice between six different interactive games, each with a unique mission. These tasks include: herding kittens, collecting dinosaur eggs, freeing trapped aliens from cages, putting robots back together

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TAKE A LISTEN

Hometown Innovators Featured on the Aim Podcast The Aim Hometown Innovations Podcast features interviews with municipal leaders, state executives, lawmakers, Aim staff and many other experts in government. Guests sit down with Aim CEO Matt Greller to discuss current events, projects, and highlights of their role.

Roann Clerk-Treasurer Bob Ferguson, one of the most interesting Aim members, discussed his background, importance of continuing education, Covered Bridge Festival, community challenges, and broadband.

Three first term mayors - Treva Hodges of Charlestown, Rod Roberson of Elkhart, and Richard Strick of Huntington – shared their experiences over the past year and a half. The mayors explore the pandemic, civil unrest, and the effect of their backgrounds on the position.

Four clerk-treasurers from cities and towns across Indiana consider about the effects of the pandemic on their municipalities, planning for their American Rescue Plan Act allocations, and the Indiana League of Municipal Clerks and Treasurers.

Alex Hall joined Aim COO Jennifer Simmons to share more about the Make It Your Own Mural Fest. Along with the Northeast Indiana Regional Partnership, Alex gathered muralists from across the world to showcase their art in eleven counties.

Rayanna Binder, the Director of Emergency Rental Assistance, discusses the Indiana Emergency Rental Assistance program and its efforts to decrease evictions, increase housing stability, and prevent homelessness with rent and utility assistance.

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HOOSIER COMMUNITIES TAKE HOME 2021 AIM ANNUAL AWARDS At the 2021 Aim Ideas Summit in French Lick, communities and individuals were recognized for outstanding achievement, successful innovation, and steady leadership in municipal government. The Annual Awards Program provides Aim members the opportunity to receive well-deserved recognition for their work and offers examples for projects and leadership in other communities. Click on the award winners below to learn more about the exceptional projects.

PLACEMAKING The Placemaking Award highlights programs or projects that have been implemented and demonstrate new approaches for solving municipal challenges. Placemaking projects also exemplify the positive impact of planning, regeneration, or economic development work on the physical quality of a place, as well as the economic and social well-being of a community. Nominations must have a physical aspect. Awards are presented in multiple population categories based on nominations received.

Population less than 10,000: Rushville - The Overlook at Riverside Park Population between 10,001 and 25,000: Frankfort - Prairie Creek Park Population between 25,001 and 50,000: Mishawaka - Heroes Park Population greater than 50,000: Bloomington - Switchyard Park PROGRAM INNOVATION The Program Innovation Award is new for 2021 and honors communities that introduced new ideas and methods to carry out municipal activities during the COVID-19 Pandemic. Awards are presented in multiple population categories based on nominations received.

Population less than 20,000: Madison - Temporary Job Replacement Program Population between 20,001 and 100,000: Greenwood - Operating through the COVID-19 Pandemic Population greater than 100,000: Evansville - Reopen Evansville Task Force Population greater than 100,000: Fort Wayne - Meters with a Mission GREEN PROJECT OF THE YEAR The Green Project of the Year spotlights a program or project that has been implemented in the past year and demonstrates green programs, sustainable development, energy conservation, or environmentally conscious decisions.

Zionsville - A Town Within a Park: Green and Sustainable Initiatives Continue reading about the award winners on page 13.

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SKY IS THE LIMIT FOR BATESVILLE’S UMBRELLA ART INSTALLATION A colorful 168-foot stretch of 464 seemingly floating umbrellas stationed in Batesville is not only attracting every camera phone in town, it’s sparking interest in tourists from around the world this summer.

The Umbrella Sky Project, a Portuguese art installation commissioned by the Batesville Area Arts Council, became the fifth of its kind in the United States in June when it was constructed near Village Green Park in downtown Batesville. The structure creates a beautiful canopy for locals and visitors to admire while also serving as the site for several community events this summer, including farmer’s markets and concerts.

BAAC President Ethel Rodriguez spearheaded the effort to bring the umbrella display to Batesville. Her goal was to create something in town that was both aesthetically pleasing and could attract visitors.

“I think it is a beautiful art installation, but it also has the benefit of bringing in people from other places and helping the local businesses, too,” Rodriguez said.

The Umbrella Sky Project has indeed generated a lot of interest from far and wide. The Franklin County Tourism Foundation reported that potential tourists from at least 10 different states and far off countries like Poland, Sweden and Australia have inquired about lodging and other attractions in the area. Additionally, a Facebook post promoting the project earlier this summer received over 120,000 page visits. The Batesville umbrellas were even written about in a Washington Post story published in January.

Rodriguez and everyone else working on the project have been blown away by the attention the umbrellas have brought to tiny Batesville, population 6,650.

“We have the Franklin and Ridley County tourism foundations helping us with the promotions, and they are very surprised with how far this project has gone,” Rodriguez said. “It’s been awesome for the city. To be honest, we were not expecting

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The Umbrella Sky Project has been wonderful. The number of visitors that have come to Batesville just to see it in person has been great. themselves and their families.

— Mike Bettice, Batesville Mayor

this many people to be interested in coming to see the umbrellas.”

Batesville Mayor Mike Bettice has also been pleased with the success of the project.

“The Umbrella Sky Project has been wonderful,” Bettice said. “The number of visitors that have come to Batesville just to see it in person has been great. The Chamber of Commerce has received phone calls from all over the Midwest wanting to know more about the project and how to find us. I can't thank the Batesville Area Arts Council enough for all their hard work to make this happen.”

Rodriguez originally came up with the idea to bring the umbrellas to Batesville when she discovered a similar installation in her hometown of Chihuahua, Mexico in 2015. When Rodriguez became vice president of the BAAC a few years later, she contacted Impactplan, the Portuguese creative agency behind the umbrellas, to begin the process of bringing the exhibit to Indiana.

and the BAAC to bring the Umbrella Sky Project to Indiana. The Covid-19 pandemic created logistical challenges, along with the state’s strict security requirements for such a structure.

The investment seems to be paying off as tourists continue to pour in to see the exhibit. The increase in visitors has certainly helped the Batesville Farmer’s Market.

In the end, Impactplan shipped a pre-assembled kit to the BAAC which in turn contracted a construction company to erect the installation. The structure consists of 12 “anchors” each weighing 3,500 pounds that hold up the apparatus with the umbrellas held in place above by a series of cables.

“The farmers market is super happy with this because they have a lot of new vendors and new people coming from other places,” Rodriguez said.

“And it is nice to be under the shade of the umbrellas.”

In total, the project cost approximately 55,000 dollars, with all funding coming from grants and other contributions from various organizations.

A list of other events that happened under the umbrellas can be found here.

The Umbrella Sky Project remained in place in Batesville until October 24. ∎∎∎

Patrícia Cunha, Impactplan’s creative director, created the first Umbrella Sky Project in Águeda, Portugal in 2011, citing the American musical fantasy film Mary Poppins as her inspiration.

The installation has since expanded across the world with similar sites popping up in Sweden, Japan, Norway, Spain and the United States. Batesville became the fifth American location for the project, joining Pittsburgh, Miami, Pensacola and Dollywood.

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DEBRA TWITCHELL of Angola received the 2021 Russel G. Lloyd Distinguished Service Award. Twitchell became ClerkTreasurer of the city of Angola in 1992 after serving as ClerkTreasurer for the Town of Orland.

She retired from her position in June 2021. Twitchell served with two mayors during her time in Angola. She is described as having the rare ability to balance the needs of the community and the needs of the city’s employees through the annual budget. Deb has been a valued board member of Aim and an active member of the Indiana League of Municipal Clerks and Treasurers. She is well known around the state as someone who will help and mentor another Clerk-Treasurer without hesitation. She’s well regarded for her expertise and regularly looked to for presentations and advice.

GWEN MALLER, Clerk-Treasurer of Berne, received the 2021 Financial Management Award. Maller, elected as Berne’s Clerk-Treasurer in 1992, was nominated for her impeccable reputation, willingness to mentor others, and dedication to public office. Maller has the unique ability to work with four different mayors during her time in office and no matter their party affiliation, assure that the citizens always come first.

KEVIN CRECELIUS, Municipal Utilities Manager of Shoals, received the 2021 Ivan H. Brinegar Municipal Management Award. Crecelius has been with the Shoals for over 15 years, completing many years of training and continuing education to hold several licenses. He is dedicated to his job, putting in long days and not ending the workday until the work is done. Crecelius is responsible for many aspects of the town, including wastewater, drinking water, mowing, streets, and the town owned cemetery.

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LIGONIER’S TRANSFORMATION INTO “THE CITY OF MURALS” On a state map, Ligonier appears to be a mere speed bump, a small town in Northeast Indiana that slows travelers for a few stoplights as they head north on State Road 5 towards Shipshewana.

But in reality, Ligonier has become a colorful attraction, even a destination in its own right.

Over the past 10-plus years, the people of Ligonier have transformed their historic downtown into a vibrant landscape by adding 36 murals painted across various buildings, earning the

town the moniker “The City of Murals.”

The impressive series of paintings began going up in 2007, but the mission to bolster the Ligonier downtown started much longer ago, according to Mayor Patty Fisel.

Back in the early 1990s, Fisel, a life-long Ligonier resident currently serving her fourth four-year term as mayor, thought that her beloved hometown was not getting the publicity it deserved.

“Our town needed to be revitalized,” Fisel said. “We needed to get more people to come into our community to learn about all of our rich history and all of the things we had to offer.”

Fisel and her good friend Betty Peterson decided to take action. They founded the Ligonier Visitor’s Center in 1992, converting an old gas station just south of downtown into a space to showcase the town’s history and advertise community events. Fisel also helped form the Future Ligonier

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Alliance, a nonprofit organization that was crucial in obtaining grant money used to improve the downtown through a number of different projects over the years.

One of the projects recommended to the FLA by a group of outside consultants was the murals idea.

Peterson and another friend, Ruth Elijah, loved the proposition and ran with it.

Beginning in 2007, Peterson and Elijah, in their late 70s and early 80s at the time, began traveling the country to research murals and find artists. They also solicited funds from businesses to support the project.

“A lot of the businesses had never been asked (for donations) before,” Fisel said. “Actually, one of them gave (Peterson and Elijah) a check for 5,000 dollars. That gave them the boost to keep building their fund, and they continued to do that. All the murals in our city have been funded by private donations.”

Many donations and 14 years later, Ligonier boasts three dozen murals scattered throughout its downtown.

According to Fisel, the artwork has helped the town capitalize on its location that naturally brings in a good deal of pass-through traffic. The murals can lure passerby to stop and explore for a bit.

"They’ve been a great attraction for us,” Fisel said. “We are just north of the US 6-State Road 5-State Road 3 intersection, so we have a tremendously great location. Shipshewana traffic travels directly through our city, right through our downtown, so we’re able to pull from that traffic. We’ve been able to maintain our downtown that way.”

The murals come in all different styles and sizes. The ‘Ligonier Depot’ and ‘Early Storefronts’ murals are positioned side-by-side and run the whole length of a block on 3rd Street.

Other paintings are only the width of a doorway.

Each mural depicts a landmark, event or era from Ligonier history. The first mural created was a painting of Native Americans camped along the Elkhart River. Another illustrates Isaac Cavin, one of northeastern Indiana’s earliest settlers who founded the town in 1835.

Many of the murals honor historic Ligonier businesses of the past, such as Wilkinson Quilt Co., Schrock’s Flowers, Creps Quality Bakery and Kidd’s Marshmallows.

Any Ligonier historian will tell you that the town used to be known as the “Marshmallow Capital of the World.”

Kidd & Company no longer exists after closing for good in 1996, but the town still holds the Ligonier Marshmallow Festival every Labor Day weekend.

In addition to beautifying downtown, the murals have given this historic place a new identity. Many community members have helped make it possible over the years, and you can hear the pride in Mayor Fisel’s voice when she reflects on the transformation.

“I love my city,” Fisel said. “And I love the people most, and we just have a great team. We work together to try to make it the best we can.” ∎∎∎

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STORIES FROM THE TERMINAL YOU MAY HAVE MISSED

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A DECREASE IN 2022 HEALTH INSURANCE PREMIUMS “Since its inception over a decade ago, the Trust has demonstrated its value to our membership time and again. This year we a nnounced something unheard-of in the insurance industry – a decrease in premiums!

The negative renewal rate is a restament to the fiscally responsible approach the Aim Medical Trust takes to municipal healthcare in Indiana.”

– Aim CEO Matt Greller In 2009, Aim recognized a common challenge of every Indiana city and town – health insurance. And in January 2010, the original four Trust members joined together to find year-to-year stability, plan design customization, and escape clout in the marketplace. Since then, another 47 cities and towns have joined the Trust and found savings, enhanced services, and stable long-term insurance costs.

In addition to health insurance, the Aim Medical Trust provides the benefits management and consulting, dental and vision insurance, life insurance, and legal counsel.

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MAKING MUNCIE BEAUTIFUL One traffic control box at a time

Over the past few years, the Muncie Arts & Culture Council has found a way to turn the dozens of dull gray traffic control boxes scattered throughout the city into colorful displays of blooming flowers, purple hippos and even aliens.

Beginning in 2018, the MACC introduced a program called ‘Box! Box!’ which recruits local artists of all ages and skill levels to transform these gray boxes using creativity and paint brushes.

The idea for this public artwork project was inspired by mini murals on traffic control boxes found in Indianapolis and other large cities across the country, according to Sarah Shaffer, MACC program coordinator. The idea has been wildly popular in Muncie with approximately 70 paintings completed in the last four years, including 23 in 2021.

“The initial goal was to beautify the city with these small public art pieces giving local artists a chance to share their work,” Shaffer said. “We wanted to create a barrier free, accessible, and inclusive project that would give folks the ability to invest in their community and for the artists to be fairly compensated for their work.

As an organization funded by grants and donations, the smaller projects are more manageable, allowing for more art to be placed throughout the city.”

Anyone residing in Delaware County is welcome

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to apply to become a Box! Box! artist. Each applicant submits an original design template, a project statement, an artist biography and three examples of previous work.

The MACC encourages all to apply from young aspiring painters to veteran artists.

“We have boxes completed by artists of all ages from elementary-aged children to artists in their 80's,” Shaffer said. “There are artists that have created large scale public artwork before applying to paint a traffic box, but many of our artists have never done this kind of work before. As an artist, arts educator and arts advocate, I think that is one of the greatest and most important aspects of this project. We are able to give some artists their first step into the public art world.”

Peyton Downs and Andrew Greiner, both elementary school students, are two of the young painters getting their art careers started with Box! Box!. Peyton’s mural is titled “Spring Fun” and consists of a blue sky, flowers, a rainbow and a butterfly. Andrew’s painted box – “The Places You’ll Go” – is transportation themed and features a car, four-wheeler, truck and helicopter. Both Peyton and Andrew worked with a local art teacher named Laurie Lunsford to complete their paintings.

Alyssa Geary, a more experienced artist, dedicated her project – “Free Bird” – to her late grandfather who

was a free spirit and loved the song “Free Bird” by Lynyrd Skynyrd.

“My box is supposed to showcase my personal style as well as keep my grandpa’s spirit alive,” Geary, a 23-year-old middle school art teacher at Selma Middle School, wrote on the MACC website. “The people depicted on my box are hopeful and free spirits. They are enjoying the simple pleasures of life, the way my grandpa taught me to do.”

The feedback on these little murals that pop up around town has been extremely positive from people in the community.

“I am always happy to see these painted boxes,” Mayor Dan Ridenour said. “I hear positive comments about the program regularly. I know locally it is a source of pride and I am excited to see Box! Box! continue to give our local artists a chance to showcase their talents and bring joy to the rest of our community, and visitors.”

Shaffer echoed the mayor’s sentiments with regards to community feedback.

“When working onsite, artists will get encouragement shouted from cars passing by, positive honks or a thumbs up,” Shaffer said. “People will stop and talk with the artists, whether that is foot traffic walking by or someone that finds a place to park nearby just to have a conversation with the artist.”

Moving forward into Year 5 of this project and beyond, there are still a handful of boxes left to be painted in the community, and, according to Shaffer, the MACC is looking into creative ways decorate state-owned traffic control boxes found along state highways. These boxes can’t be painted but could be covered with painted-vinyl wrappings.

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FORT WAYNE NAMED ALL-AMERICA CITY FOR THE FOURTH TIME During Fort Wayne’s All-America City Award presentation, Fort Wayne UNITED Director Iric Headley delivered the line of the show: “What’s amazing is that in Fort Wayne, Indiana, we don’t talk diversity and inclusion, we actually do it. We live it.”

Headley’s statement was the exclamation point to a compelling presentation that showcased Fort Wayne’s accomplishments in building equity and resilience – the main themes for the award in 2021. In the end, the jury members from the National Civic League agreed with Headley’s proclamation as they designated Fort Wayne a 2021 All-America City during a virtual ceremony in June.

It’s the fourth time Fort Wayne has won the award (1983, 1998 and 2009) which has honored 10 communities across the country every year since 1949.

The efforts and successes of Headley’s Fort Wayne UNITED was one of the key components in Fort Wayne’s case to earn the award. The project combines two national initiatives – Cities United and My Brother’s Keeper – as it works to improve opportunities for black men and boys in the Fort Wayne area.

What’s amazing is that in Fort Wayne, Indiana, we don’t talk diversity and inclusion, we actually do it.

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But, as Riverfront Program and Events Manager Megan Butler explained in the presentation, Fort Wayne “turned its back” on the rivers in the late 1990s. After major flooding hit the city in the 1980s, Fort Wayne began to withdraw from its downtown and the three historic rivers. Ten miles of levees were built, hiding the rivers behind protective walls and natural brush.

Things changed again over the past decade as many Fort Wayne residents expressed a desire to reincorporate the rivers back into city life, and in 2014, Mayor Henry commissioned a comprehensive riverfront study.

Fort Wayne’s delegation also featured two other community-driven projects that exemplify equity and resilience as part of its AAC application – the ongoing Riverfront Fort Wayne project and Fort Wayne Community Schools’ Family and Community Engagement (FACE) Center.

Headley was joined by Mayor Tom Henry and other community leaders in delivering the presentation titled “Moving Forward Together” which took place via Zoom call on June 9th.

“Being named an All-America City is a tremendous accomplishment and is an indication of how Fort Wayne is moving forward in the right direction,” said Mayor Tom Henry. “We’re working each day to provide opportunities for every person who calls Fort Wayne home. Collectively, we’re doing everything possible to engage, innovate and perform, and I truly believe our best days are ahead of us.”

Behind the scenes, Fort Wayne’s Director of Intergovernmental Affairs Stephanie Crandall spearheaded the city’s application effort which began many months ago.

Crandall said that though Fort Wayne has won the award multiple times, it does not apply for the honor every year. But when Crandall saw the 2021 themes of equity and resilience, the decision to apply became an easy one.

“In our case, we knew we had lots of examples showing Fort Wayne’s commitment to building an equitable and resilient community,” Crandall said. “We had to narrow those down to

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the three we showcased.”

Crandall and her team submitted a written application to the National Civic League in February. One month later, Fort Wayne was named one of the 20 finalists and earned the opportunity to give a final presentation in June.

RIVERFRONT FORT WAYNE

The first community project that Fort Wayne’s delegation presented at virtual event in June was Riverfront Fort Wayne.

Fort Wayne’s rivers – the St. Joseph, St. Marys, and Maumee – have been vital to the community since the beginning. The city’s original purpose was of course as a military fort built under the direction of American Revolutionary War general Anthony Wayne, but it’s location in relation to the rivers made it a productive trading post for pioneers in the early 1800s.

The plan that emerged was very much community driven. Thousands of residents provided input as they completed surveys, attended events, heard presentations and shared ideas.

“Riverfront Fort Wayne is an excellent example of a grass roots effort,” Crandall said. “People said, ‘We need to be able to have a place to go, and here’s what we want it to look like.’”

The result of this community push is a riverfront development plan which completed Phase I with the creation of Promenade Park in August 2019.

The park opened with a three-day grand opening extravaganza where over 100 groups celebrated arts, culture, recreation, and nature. A diverse crowd of more than 45,000 people attended.

Members of ethnic, racial and religious minorities were all present.

“This was more than just a party for the city’s history books,” Butler said.

“It was the beginning of a movement to deliver on a promise to be a space that is truly for every person in our community.”

FORT WAYNE UNITED

The second part of Fort Wayne’s AAC presentation began when Iric Headley entered the stage to describe the efforts and successes of Fort Wayne UNITED. Fort Wayne UNITED, a mayoral initiative that began in 2016, consists of various programs and projects aimed at promoting equity and diversity across the community and ensuring that all people in Fort Wayne, especially black males, are respected, appreciated and valued.

teachers, businessmen and others in the community that came forward by themselves simply saying: ‘This is something that our community needs.

This is something that’s definitely worthwhile.’ It has really excited the entire community.”

Headley also spoke about Fort Wayne UNITED’s most recent venture, United Front, which was rolled out in September 2020 following a summer of racial tension and civil unrest. The project engages community members in a cultural competency curriculum that fosters racial equity, healing and unity.

Headley passed the microphone

to Brenda Gerber Vincent of Greater Fort Wayne, the city’s chamber of commerce, to explain how the business community is participating in this endeavor.

“Businesses and their employees care about racial diversity and inclusion,” Gerber Vincent said. “In Fort Wayne, we have United Front where 185 organizations and more than 8,000 business leaders are having meaningful conversations in a safe environment.

We are learning a common language and philosophy that will change the course of community for generations to come.”

Headley focused on a few of Fort Wayne UNITED’s many programs, starting with the TenPoint Coalition.

“The TenPoint Coalition is a boots-on-the-ground approach that empowers people who in some cases were a part of the problem but now are a significant part of the solution,” Headley said. “They learn about community needs; they build relationships and they connect people to live-saving resources.”

The Coalition hires people from the community – faith leaders, former gang members and family members impacted by the cycle of violence – to go out and be a force of positive change. Members are paid and trained to patrol identified neighborhoods and to examine the areas of crime, education, health and housing.

According to Headley, within the first 14 months, Coalition efforts helped reduce crime by over 70 percent in targeted neighborhoods.

Mayor Henry added that beyond the Coalition members doing the work in the neighborhoods, people from across the Fort Wayne community have come forward to get involved with this initiative.

“So many people at the professional level embraced this particular program,” Mayor Henry said. “(Headley) has a board of directors that includes judges,

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FAMILY AND COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT CENTER

The final part of Fort Wayne’s presentation was a description of the Family and Community Engagement (FACE) Center led by Shenita Bolton, the college and career readiness manager for the school system.

FACE opened in the fall of the 20162017 school year and truly serves as a “one-stop shop” community center full of resources for all comers.

“I think it’s important to note that FACE was intentionally and strategically placed on a city bus route in the downtown area to make sure we be accessible for our students, their families and the entire community,” Bolton said.

$30,000 per year to $22.4 million over the past seven years.

At the conclusion of the presentation, it was clear the National Civic League was duly impressed by Fort Wayne’s projects.

Rebecca Trout, the AAC program director, said that the League loved how each project was such a collective effort, driven not solely by government officials but by the people.

FACE provides programming and services in everything from schoolrelated issues to health to housing services. The center employs staff members with expertise in counseling, college admissions, scholarship obtainment, athletic coaching, music performance, nursing certification, school administration, philanthropy, as well as recruitment for and implementation of tutoring services.

FACE has had a huge positive impact on the community over the past five years, and Bolton has the data to prove it.

Since FACE’s inception, college visits by students in the area have increases by 80 percent. Vision, hearing, mental health referrals, physicals and immunizations have increased by 117 percent. And funding for college and career readiness has increased from

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“It was really the community driving all three of these efforts, which is what we like to see,” Trout said. “We are all about civic engagement and collective governing. Government and people and other institutions should really be working collectively to create the

community that they would like to see, and that really came through in Fort Wayne’s projects.”

Due to the virtual nature of this year’s presentations and awards ceremony, Fort Wayne did not physically receive its All-America City hardware until very recently. On Sunday, August 29, Valerie Lemmie, a National Civic League board member, traveled to Fort Wayne to present Mayor Henry with a plaque to commemorate the accomplishment.

“We’re so excited to win it this year,” Crandall said. “It really is a testament to the work we do every day to make Fort Wayne a better place to live.” ∎∎∎

We are all about civic engagement and collective governing. Government and people and other institutions should really be working collectively to create the community that they would like to see.

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AIM STATEMENT OF PURPOSE Our purpose is to foster, promote and advocate for the success of Hoosier municipalities as laboratories of innovation, hubs of talent and the engines driving our state’s economy.

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