AUBURN, Ind. (WANE) — New projects are popping up all over Auburn. Last year the city started more than 40 projects. Even though the pandemic changed how people met and interacted with each other in 2020, the city held more than 1,500 meetings.
In his second year as mayor, Michael Ley says he has no plans to slow down.
“It was an awesome year to be the mayor of this community,” Mayor Michael Ley said. “We are working hard to maintain and improve what we have. We were excited about last year but we are very excited about this year.”
Currently, there are several projects in different phases that Ley hopes will be beneficial to the Auburn community and bring more people to the city.
Citywide Movement:
The Citywide Movement is one of several projects that started in 2020. However, do the pandemic the project went virtual.
“It’s not really about bricks and mortar it’s about what can we do to help our people,” Ley said. “It’s about bringing together the different groups in our community, whether that’s education, business, nonprofits, churches, or government. We are working in a unified manner to help systemic issues in our community.”
In Auburn, the systemic issues consist of mental illness, addiction, abuse, poverty, and homelessness. The group’s goal is to work together to brainstorm and come up with plans to help tactical the issues and help residents. By coming together Ley says the community and collaborate and learn about what programs are in place to help and come up with other ideas to help residents struggling.
“We are finding out that a lot of the organizations maybe don’t know what the other organization really does or how they operate,” Ley said. “We are all working on these issues separately so how much more could we accomplish if we combined our resources and work together.”
Ley hopes that the movement will pick up steam and the group will be able to meet in larger groups as COVID starts to subside.
Downtown Business:
Walking around the square in downtown Auburn is hard to miss the construction at the corner of 7th Street and Cedar Street.
Credent Wealth Management, a local community that provides financial and estate planning services, is currently constructing a new corporate headquarters.
The new three-story office building will 30 thousand square feet. The first floor will house retail space with office space on the upper levels.
The proposed building site would occupy what now are four separately owned lots and three buildings will be removed. Ley says the building is a welcome addition to downtown and the city’s economy.
It’s anticipated that the building will be complete and the business open the first quarter of 2022.
Feral Cat Management:
As Auburn continues to grow, so does the population. However, local leaders are hoping to shrink the cat population.
“We don’t want to get to the point where we have a feral cat issue,” Ley said. “People really care about the animals but we got to keep the population under control.”
This year the city will start the TNR Program otherwise known as the Trap/Neuter/Release: Feral Cat Management Program. The program is true to its title. The county humane society will go out, trap cats, have them neutered and then release them back on the streets.
Sidewalks:
A project continuing into the new year is the city sidewalk and residential replacement program. The goal is to help replace and extend the city’s sidewalks. Late last year the city received a surprise donation from a local businessman. The money will go toward a matching grant program for city sidewalks.
BMX Park:
In Sept. 2020 the city open the new Eckhart Skate Park. The park was converted from an old pool. Ley says that the park has been a ‘huge hit’ but believe it could be better.
“We’ve created what we call Skate Park 2.0,” Ley said. “We are going to add a dirt track to the skate park. One where you can take your BMX bike on.”
The racetrack will have jumps and turns and other features for people to use. Also being added is the main entrance and seating areas where families and spectators can sit and watch.
The project is in it’s final design phase and is currently looking for funding.
Projects to come:
The biggest complaint the mayor’s office received last year had to deal with traffic and roads. Most of the complaints surround State Road 8 and getting stuck by railroads.
State Road 8 runs through the city of Auburn. The city is working with the Indiana Department of Transportation to help with the growing traffic concerns with citizens.
South of town railroads has led to a feasibility study for a railroad overpass. The results of the study and where the overpass will be built are scheduled to be released in the next few months.
Mayor Ley says that though announcements are coming this year, construction won’t start until mid to late 2020s.
“These are two big things the community has been crying out for years and years and years and they are finally in motion,” Ley said.
During the interview with WANE 15, Mayor Ley hinted that there are several projects in the works that would be unveiled in the upcoming year.
