Fort Wayne Mayor, Tom Henry, touted city accomplishments in his state of the city address Wednesday. The city's new recycling program more than doubled the amount of recycling. He also talked about the excitement of The Harrison apartments finally being built.
Mayor Henry outlined two upcoming roadway projects. He will ask city council to approve a
round-about down town at the intersection of Fairfield, Ewing, Wells and Superior streets. Fairfield and Ewing would become two way as a result. Henry said "The one-way streets were only about six or eight blocks. They really aren't very business friendly. So we're going to be talking to city council about making them two way streets." The mayor also wants to narrow Washington and Jefferson Boulevard to make them more pedestrian friendly.
round-about down town at the intersection of Fairfield, Ewing, Wells and Superior streets. Fairfield and Ewing would become two way as a result. Henry said "The one-way streets were only about six or eight blocks. They really aren't very business friendly. So we're going to be talking to city council about making them two way streets." The mayor also wants to narrow Washington and Jefferson Boulevard to make them more pedestrian friendly.
A much discussed topic during the election was how difficult it is to get a business permit from the city. The Mayor says they have since streamlined the permitting process by placing all the involved departments on the same floor of Citizen Square. They're also working on an online portal to make the process even less stressful. Henry said "We're working on that right now. We are in the process of unveiling that. You can actually do a lot of that work you would normally have to come down town to do by computer."
Legacy Fort Wayne also got a mention. Teams have been chosen to analyze specific ways to spend the $72 million in light lease settlement money. The teams have 90 days go over ideas, and present them to the mayor. The final ideas will have to go to city council for approval.
The Mayor was asked about his controversial request to pull city funding the Fort Wayne-Allen County Department of Homeland Security. He wants the county to have it on their ledger. The Mayor says the county has requested a written explanation, and he plans to give them one by Feburary17th.
