Last Updated on December 5, 2017 by cassnetwork
We’ve invited Logansport Mayor Dave Kitchell to share information from the city in a monthly update on CassCountyOnline.com.
Dave Kitchell
We have just completed a busy month, and as we transition from a season of thanks to a season of giving, it’s a good time to reflect on where we are.
First, I’m thankful for the work of our police and firefighters who have kept us safe to date this year. Two firefighters who saved a life earlier this year were co-winners of the second annual Firefighter of the Year Award last month. A police officer who has been an integral part of countless investigations for the past 20 years also was honored, as were two officers who cracked a multi-state robbery investigation through their efforts.
Second, I’m thankful for the two educators we honored with the Margaret Newby Awards. The reception was larger than last year. It was clear their former students appreciated many contributions not to just to their education, but to their lives and to the community. We’re fortunate to have people who take on teaching as a career and in many cases are the best role models our young people have.
We all should be grateful for the city/county drug task force. It continues to win some significant battles in the war on drugs.
We all should be equally thankful that our community’s unemployment rate dropped again last month to a full point below last year’s rate. For the second time this year, we’re at a 17-year low in local unemployment.
Finally, we should be thankful for all city employees. Many of them have worked extra hours to go the extra mile for local residents, from clearing trash from an abandoned home to paving streets and removing snow to keeping our parks and our cemetery look better each year.
The quality of life gains we have made also should be acknowledged. Logansport Memorial Hospital’s announcement that it is ranked No. 1 nationally in a key category is significant for our health care community and in our economic development efforts. Add in the Light Up Logansport Parade, Christmas in the Park at Spencer Park and the Indiana Transportation Museum excursions and it’s been a great start to our holiday season, particularly for the children of the community.
Regardless of political stripes, where we live or where we attend church, our sense of community right here in Logansport is something many communities don’t have. It’s in months like these that we can appreciate the contributions of the individuals, businesses and Cass County Community Foundation in making Christmas in the Park a place where nonprofit organizations can raise funds for their many projects throughout the year. It’s a time to remember the folks at the Salvation Army who are ringing bells at red kettle locations this year, and that their efforts feed dozens of people every week on the west side. It’s a good time to fill a Christmas basket or a food pantry, or just to give unselfishly to someone in our community who needs it even if they don’t want a handout, but could use a hand up. Many of our people do that every year, and if we all did, our community would be just that much greater because of the random acts of kindness to those who don’t make headlines and givers who don’t seek them. Cass County is not a poor community. Recent poverty statistics indicate that there are more counties with poverty percentages higher than Cass County’s, including neighboring Miami and Howard counties. Just two counties away, Grant County has become home to the state’s highest rate.
I also want to acknowledge the work the Logansport Municipal Utilities crews have done not only in assisting with Christmas in the Park, but on the boulevard and in other locations in the city where they will be installing LED streetlights. Their contributions in putting up our downtown Christmas decorations should never be taken for granted. It’s a big task that’s not always done under the most ideal conditions.
It’s a time to get into the giving spirit in your own way. It’s one of many things that sets Logansport apart from other communities and fulfills the hopes of those who need hope the most this time of year.
If you have any suggestions, concerns or questions, please don’t hesitate to call us at 753-2551, or e-mail me at dkitchell@cityoflogansport.org.