Tommy Callaghan is LaPorteCountyLife.com's #1StudentNWI representative at Michigan City High School. This month, Tommy recaps his experience at the October 21 City Council meeting which saw the Council approve unanimously the Lake Michigan Gateway Implementation Strategy.
Most would say the City Council meeting on October 21 started off as normal, but the excitement ensued when the resolution to approve the Lake Michigan Gateway Implementation Strategy (LMGIS) was introduced. First Ward Councilman Richard Murphy, a critical decision maker in the plan's emergence, presented the case of the LMGIS.
After some positive discussion on the matter, the floor was opened for public comments. While no one wanted to be the first to speak, someone eventually got the ball rolling. And once the ball was rolling, it did not stop. The people of Michigan City had things they wanted to say, and they said them.
Normally, people try and find something wrong with a plan. Yet, on October 21, it seemed that every public comment was positive. It was not positive just because no one wanted to find something wrong, it is that there is nothing wrong with it. Several speakers had even researched this and knew exactly what they were talking about when they said how this plan would benefit Michigan City.
Hitchcock Design Group and numerous others have worked tirelessly to make this plan work. Now, over the past year, the city is ready to put the LMGIS into play.
Lately, this plan has been all the buzz in Michigan City. While everyone most likely already knows the plans for this strategy, there are some basics that everyone needs to know.
The LMGIS will bring more revenue into Michigan City over the next few years; it will bring more year-round residents, bring attractions to the downtown area and give the citizens a place to live that they are proud of. But most of all, it will make Michigan City the great lakefront destination for visitors from the Chicago and Porter/Lake County areas.
This strategy is all possible thanks to the hundreds of hours put in by countless, crucial people. Now, their hard work has paid off. All their hard work was obviously worth it because not only did all City Council members approve the LMGIS, but comment after comment from the public was urging the council to vote ‘yes’ and approve the strategy.
Like Murphy said, these are exciting times in Michigan City. With the amount of support from the community that is being received, the timeline could not be looking better.
As a member of the next generation that will work on this, I asked Mayor Ron Meer what he sees as ‘our’ responsibility. Meer replied, “The next generation has to keep the momentum alive and continue to development these projects. The main thing, though, is for the next generation to come back and work in the city they grew up in.”
That last sentence was very important to Meer.
On how this plan will affect the current generation, Meer said, “with this plan, Michigan City will become a place of pride. The generation now has been waiting for this time, and now it's coming.”
Now, because the City Council has unanimously approved the LMGIS, the plans will soon go into full effect, and Michigan City will officially begin to transform for the better.