Mayor outlines infrastructure, public-safety and parks priorities and honors longtime Crown Point businesses

All right. Good evening everyone. The mayor of Crown Point delivered the 2025 State of the City address at Bulldog Park, highlighting the city’s public-safety performance, economic activity, recent and upcoming infrastructure projects, and civic awards before closing with a city video.

The address opened with recognition of city staff, volunteers and sponsors and a rundown of awards for longtime local businesses. The mayor presented longevity recognitions to Impact (46 years), Main Street Cafe (55 years), Balemaster (about 79–80 years), Wilson Iron Works (81 years) and Tech Credit Union (90 years). He also presented a local “excellence in business or development” award to Bob Ligda of DNL Wood Products; Ligda accepted and briefly described the company’s history and local hiring practices, saying, “My name is Bob Ligda. You probably have seen my shop.”

The mayor highlighted civic and departmental achievements. He said the city issued 738 building permits in 2025, representing about $119 million in new construction, and conducted over 5,000 inspections. Public works and engineering completed or improved roughly 16 miles of roads and installed 13,000 feet of curbs and sidewalks; the city reported receiving a community crossings grant of $996,000 and a community development block grant of $158,000 to support ramp installations and road work.

On public safety, the mayor reported the police department handled about 21,000 calls for service in 2025, added four public-safety officers, hired a new officer and introduced a K-9 named Dutch; the fire department logged roughly 6,600 calls and nearly 13,000 training hours and fully implemented a mobile integrated health program funded by a state grant. The mayor said Crown Point was ranked “the seventh safest community in the state and third among jurisdictions with populations over 30,000,” attributing the result to resident engagement and department work.

Parks, athletics and entertainment (PACE) highlights included completion of the Sarman’s Wood stormwater-amenity project, a new, nationally built skate park within the Sports Plex, and an extension of the Veterans Memorial Bike Trail that adds nearly a mile to the network. Parks and athletics also continue to host large regional events at the Sports Plex (a 95-acre facility) and will again host the Cal Ripken 11U World Series with opening ceremonies at Bulldog Park on August 6.

Utilities and water infrastructure updates included the start of two long-planned major projects: a downtown interceptor and a wastewater treatment plant renovation (planning began in 2017). The mayor said the city secured a $5 million state loan for lead service line replacements, purchases totaling about 1.1 billion gallons of water in 2025, and 9.5 million gallons of potable storage capacity. He noted the city’s highest single-day water use (June 25) and the lowest (Dec. 10) as examples of seasonal variation.

Looking ahead to 2026, the mayor announced the Tank Island renovation project on North Main Street had begun the day of the speech and that the city will build a new trail extension to connect neighborhoods east of I‑65 and name it the Gold Star Family Memorial Trail; the mayor said the city will work with veterans’ groups and families on markers and memorial features. He closed the program with a short video and the remark, “the state of the city of Crown Point is strong.”

The event was framed as an update and celebration rather than a meeting that produced formal votes or directives; no motions or official council actions are recorded in the transcript. The mayor routinely identified department heads and volunteers and credited outside funding sources where noted. The address concluded with applause and a post-program video.