On Thursday, May 23, the Crystal Ballroom at the Lerner Theatre was filled with members of the Elkhart community, gathered for Mayor Rod Roberson’s fifth annual State of the City address.
Setting the tone for the evening, the Elkhart High School drumline performed just outside the building, creating a vibrant and exciting atmosphere.
The program began with the National Anthem, followed by the Pledge of Allegiance and a prayer for unity and strength within the community. Elkhart City Council President Arvis Dawson then came to the stage expressing gratitude and excitement for things to come for the city.
“In the next three years, we want to ensure that the Aspire program is put forward, and we can't do that without you,” said Dawson. “We can't do that without great leadership from our mayor. We can't do that without support from our elected officials.”
Three young Elkhart residents who were honored as “Mayor for the Day” in 2023 introduced Roberson and welcomed him to the stage. As he took his place, he gave a brief overview of the city’s improvements over the past year, before discussing what’s next for the city through “Aspire Elkhart.”
“The goals of Aspire Elkhart are population growth, new private investment, safer neighborhoods, increased property values, and city-wide beautification,” Roberson said.
Roberson emphasized the importance of communication in creating safer neighborhoods and community improvements. Two ways the city is working to combat communication barriers are Let’s Talk Tuesday—a monthly meeting for community discussions with city departments—and the MyElkhart311 app, a tool for residents to report various issues.
“These groups bring our current residents together to share concerns, offer solutions, and create a greater sense of community,” said Roberson.
With about 500 acres spanning three different parks in Elkhart, there are always advancements that can be made.
“We have an ongoing list of improvements and projects for parks all over the city in our Aspire plan,” Roberson said. “These projects include additional drinking fountains, paved parking areas, new playground equipment, rejuvenating the Pierre Moran pool, as well as adding equipment and bathrooms to Walker Park.”
Roberson also discussed the importance of new facilities and equipment for both police officers and firefighters.
“Our emergency response teams are second to none,” Roberson said. “They go above and beyond every day in so many ways that are never seen or recognized. They do it because they care. These teams deserve facilities with modern efficiencies and adequate training spaces, and we look forward to making that happen in this administration.”
A key to improvement in the community is infrastructure. Roberson detailed a specific water treatment project that will be integral in the City of Elkhart.
“To support the Elkhart of tomorrow, we must continue to strengthen and improve our core systems,” said Roberson. “In April, we broke ground on the federally mandated combined sewer overflow project. This is a $16.5 million project that will ensure sewer water is sent to the treatment facility and not to our rivers and streams.”
As the evening came to a close, Elkhart residents were left with a better understanding of what is to come in their community.
“It is common for the people of Elkhart to be uncommonly hardworking, innovative, resilient, and entrepreneurial,” Roberson said. “Let's make our dreams and goals uncommon as well. Let's aspire to be more for future generations. We are the right people, at the right time, to create tomorrow's Elkhart starting today.”
To learn more about the City of Elkhart, visit elkhartindiana.org.