HUNTINGBURG — Huntingburg Mayor Denny Spinner issued a challenge to the people of Huntingburg Friday morning during his annual State of the City Address at the Huntingburg Event Center. While taking time reflect on the progress of the past year, Spinner asked Huntingburg’s citizens to live, work and think with the the city’s future in mind.
“Four years ago, I stood in this very building in front of you as a new mayor ready to embark on the mission of making Huntingburg a leader, not only in southwestern Indiana, but throughout the state,” Spinner said. “This mission focused on improving our economy, reinventing our quality of life and amenities our city has to offer, ensuring trust and confidence of the citizenry and leading our city government with a strong set of values. Four years later, I’m proud to stand in front of you and report that many of these goals have been accomplished, but more is yet to be done.”
Spinner touched on several areas and departments that have shown growth in a multitude of ways, including their leadership, labor force and experience in solving problems on the go.
The city’s water department completed one of the most important projects of the past decade amid a transition in its leadership. The energy department completed a conversion in its electricity service that was 10 years in the making. The wastewater department bolstered a force main and lift stations that were badly in need of an upgrade and paved the way for continued expansion. The street department has continued to improve road infrastructure across the city and is on the verge of a major list of projects with help from state funding. The park department completed a smooth transition of leadership and is continuing to prove Huntingburg City Park and League Stadium are two of the city’s biggest assets.
The fire and police departments both received upgrades to facilities and the addition of a new 78-foot aerial ladder truck as well as Ester, the 2-year-old German Shepherd K-9 narcotics officer, have already proven worthwhile in protecting the city.
On the administrative side, the city’s common council and Stellar Communities Steering Committee have provided direction on some of the most high-impact projects the city has seen in years. With the Fourth Street water main in place, the city turns its focus to the partnership with Boxer Girl LLC and the new Hunters Crossing workforce housing subdivision — the first answer to the county-wide problem of a lack of housing for new families and laborers looking to settle in Dubois County. Also on deck are a complete revitalization of the downtown sector and addition of a new park and multi-use space on Market Street.
“These Stellar projects are part of the larger vision to do just what we set out to do four years ago, to make Huntingburg the best Huntingburg we can be,” Spinner said.
It takes money to complete projects, and with the high volume of new enterprise brought in by the city, Spinner said he’s happy to report Huntingburg’s economic situation is strong, with balanced books across all departments.
Spinner cited a study from the Indiana University Policy Choices Initiative Project titled “Thriving Communities, Thriving State.”
“The report said small towns should promote the remarkable quality of life and characteristics of those locations, and Huntingburg is doing just that,” Spinner said. “We’re not waiting to see what other direction people are taking. Huntingburg is leading the way.”
Two examples of the city’s progression include major partnerships established within the past year with Perry-Spencer Communications and the Indiana Municipal Power Agency. While the partnership with PSC will bring fiber optic connectivity to the city at a time when broadband internet is becoming more and more of a coveted utility rather than amenity, the city’s partnership with IMPA represents a landmark decision to commit Huntingburg to renewable energy.
Also during his speech, Spinner praised the work of groups such as the Association of Latin Americans in Southern Indiana for their work in helping promote unity between Huntingburg’s long-time citizens and its burgeoning Latino community — a point of pride for the city boasting the largest population of Latinos in southern Indiana at nearly 20 percent.
While contemplating what was potentially one of the busiest years in the city’s history, Spinner reiterated the importance of looking at the bigger picture of where the city of Huntingburg is headed.
“The council and our city government will be faced with a number of challenging decisions as we look forward, and when we make those decisions we must think about our current residents, but we must also think about our future residents — those who don’t yet live here, those looking to retire here and those who won’t enter the job market for a few years,” he said. “Everything we do, everything from economic development, infrastructure, parks and recreation, public transit, must be aimed at making Huntingburg a great place to live. To make Huntingburg the best Huntingburg we can be.”
“Think about how much our city has changed in the last four or five years. Now think about what the next 10 years might bring. Our progress wasn’t inevitable before, and it won’t be inevitable now. Our Stellar designation was a huge success, and now we have the opportunity to manage success. We have the opportunity to be a truly stellar community, a city that sets the standard for the region and our state — a place where people want to live and build a foundation for success for years and decades to come.”
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