Work is slated to begin sometime later this year to rebuild part of East Wabash Avenue, Mayor Todd Barton said Thursday in the State of the City Address.
Though no timetable has been set, the road will be closed for about five blocks from Mill Street to near California Pellet Mill as crews replace the roadway, one of the most significant upcoming projects Barton announced in his annual remarks.
“We have paved that section of Wabash Avenue several times in recent years to no avail,” he told a large crowd of residents at Fusion 54, comparing the project to the construction on West Main Street in 2017. “I’m going to be very upfront about this: it will be a painful project, but absolutely necessary and well worth it in the end.”
Barton and Montgomery County Administrator Mark Casteel gave an update on the city and county’s finances and major accomplishments, striking an optimistic tone for the year ahead.
“We began with a simple philosophy — stop kicking the can down the road and fix things. We’ve worked hard and haven’t wasted a single day,” said Barton, who is beginning his third term in office.
Crawfordsville ended 2019 with more than $2 million extra in the bank, according to city records. The year-end balance was $29.7 million, up from $27 million in 2018. The city had $21 million on hand when Barton first took office eight years ago.
Barton said the numbers were “exactly on target” with budget forecasts,” even as the city invested in separating the combined storm and sanitary sewers, rebuilt electrical systems, developed solar parks and upgraded the wastewater treatment plant in recent years. The city has spent more than $27 million on infrastructure improvements over the past five years.
Property tax rates grew two cents in 2019 to $1.61 per assessed valuation.
Tax rates are lower in the county, declining more than 6% in 2019. The county imposed nearly $9.5 million in property taxes last year, receiving more than $9.1 million in tax revenues.
“Financially, Montgomery County has demonstrated sound fiscal leadership through responsible and efficient budgeting and intergovernmental collaboration,” said Casteel, who was hired by the county last year to oversee day-to-day operations.
Nearly $3 million sits in the county’s reserves, “however financial forecasts continue to be a concern for local governments,” Casteel said.
Both leaders said the local governments would continue working to attract and retain residents for the workforce, promote career readiness in schools and support training for unemployed and underemployed workers.
Working families may also have more access to childcare this year. A task force is close to recommending steps for bringing more providers to Montgomery County.
Barton and Casteel also touted recent efforts to combat drug addiction, such as the Quick Response Team. The county reported three fewer drug overdose deaths in 2019, but overdose-related emergency room admissions increased.
County commissioners plan to expand local services for recovering users, and Barton’s workforce roundtable is discussing ways to assist them with re-entering the workforce. Also this year, Crawfordsville police expect to hire more anti-narcotics investigators.
The county received more than $955,200 in federal, state and local grants to develop and implement programs to tackle the crisis.
“It is worth our continued effort and support because we are saving lives by intervening earlier with evidence based programming that have proven to be successful,” Casteel said.
Plans were also unveiled for a strategy to reduce poverty in Montgomery County. The overall poverty rate in Montgomery County rose to 12.7% in 2016 from 8.3% in 2000, Casteel said.
At the same time, median household income has grown by more than $22,000 since 1990, although increases have somewhat flattened over the past decade. Commissioners seek to develop or promote resources for job training and build a team of local providers to coordinate services for those in poverty.
Other topics addressed included:
• Continuing discussions between CSX Corp. and LSC Communications on removing the rail line along Franklin Street to connect the downtown trail to Sugar Creek Trail.
“To be blunt, I am not sure I the line is going to be removed or will remain at this point,” Barton said. “Those discussions are ongoing and literally change day-by-day.”
If the rail line is not removed, Barton said, crews will go around the rail line to connect the two trails.
• Ongoing efforts to fund an overpass at the East Market Street rail crossing and extend, improve, or construct new roads to reduce “choke points.” INDOT has not accepted Crawordsville’s grant applications for the overpass, Barton said, despite the city’s willingness to contribute matching funds for a project on a state highway. (Market Street also carries traffic on State Road 47.)
• Exploring the possibility of expanding the county’s waterway trail network, providing additional locations to gain access to waterways and potentially developing a creek trail along Sugar Creek.
