Latest news with #RodRoberson
Yahoo
5 days ago
- General
- Yahoo
Weston Park celebrates new playground
ELKHART — Weston Park Neighborhood is marking a new chapter in its history with the celebration of a new playground. The park had a playground for 30 years before the new one was put in, said Jamison Czarnecki, superintendent of the parks and recreation department. It has been a long time coming, he said. 'This one's a pretty fun one because I've seen this neighborhood evolve over the last few weeks,' Czarnecki said to a large crowd of people at the celebration Thursday. 'I've come by here and we see some kids every now and then and we see some people hanging out, but the last few weeks you guys have showed up in numbers. Every day there's more than 10 kids on this playground.' A park is only as good as the people who are using it, Czarnecki said. The parks and recreation department saved $330,000 by using a gametime grant, he said. Located at the corner of Cedar and North Michigan streets, the park was the former site of Weston School. The celebration included a ribbon-cutting ceremony, tree planting, free Kona Ice and hot dogs for the first 100 attendees. It's part of a larger city-wide effort to upgrade half a dozen parks across the city. This neighborhood is one of the most dense in the city, Mayor Rod Roberson said. Having strong parks close to home is important for the growth, stability and relationship between neighbors and the city, he said. 'We want to continue to build relationships in our parks because that's how I grew up,' Roberson said. 'I grew up with parks being in my back yard and my front yard and making sure the friends I had in my neighborhood were my friends because of the things we did inside of our parks. This was a park we had a plan for during our Aspire plan.'
Yahoo
23-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
City, developer break ground on apartment project
ELKHART — A private developer and the city broke ground on a project that will bring much needed affordable housing to the city. 'It's very important for us to understand that Elkhart has a need for housing,' Mayor Rod Roberson said Tuesday during a ground-breaking ceremony for 515 East Apartments. 'So do most communities, but I mean this throughout the spectrum. We bring in 35,000 to 40,000 people a day from different counties that really want to live closer to where they work.' The project by RealAmerica Companies, located on 515 East St., is a mixed-use development comprising 48 units of income-based housing. There will be one- and two-bedroom apartments in a four-story building. The development will feature a variety of spacious floor plans, and each unit will have a balcony or patio. The total development cost is $14 million, which equates to about $300,000 per unit, said Mike Surak, president of RealAmerica Companies. 'We first started looking for property in Elkhart in 2022,' Surak said. 'We've developed in South Bend, Warsaw, Fort Wayne, so we've had a footprint in Northern Indiana for quite some time now and we've just heard about all the activity that's happening in Elkhart. So when we first came to town looking for development opportunity ... the occupancy was 99.1 percent, so it was clear that there was a need for housing at that time.' 515 East Apartments is partially funded by the Low-Income Housing Tax Credit program and received an allocation for funding from the Indiana Housing and Community Development Authority (IHCDA). The city contributed to the project by providing a forgivable loan and building fee waivers. The IHCDA further assisted with a loan from the Affordable Housing and Community Development Fund. Rents will be based on the area median income (AMI) and serve households earning up to 80 percent of the area median income. 'There's a range of affordability from 30 percent of the area median income to 80 percent of the area median income, which we think captures a good range of affordability levels, depending on certain household incomes,' Surak said. 'It's all income-based, so it's all driven by what a particular individual or family earns annually as a household.' The apartments will also include a roof-top deck and garden, and community space with a lounge, kitchen and fitness center. There will also be a dog park and dog wash station. The development site is in an ideal location for housing because it sits in a pedestrian-friendly area of downtown, developers said. 'We were really attracted to the site because of its central location in downtown Elkhart, and the walk within minutes to Main Street and restaurants and retail that they offer in that district,' Surak said, 'and then also all of the development that's been happening in the River District.'
Yahoo
05-04-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Let's Talk Tuesday returns
ELKHART — The City of Elkhart has announced the 2025 community meeting dates for Let's Talk Tuesday sessions. The program, now in its fourth year, aims to foster connections and conversations among residents, providing a platform for open dialogue and engagement for community building, organizers said. Residents are encouraged to share their ideas and concerns with Mayor Rod Roberson, their City Council representatives and department heads. Let's Talk Tuesday will take place on select Tuesday evenings at various locations throughout Elkhart in each council district, offering residents the opportunity to come together, share ideas and discuss issues that matter most to residents. City department representatives will be on hand to provide information and answer questions related to their expertise. 'Let's Talk Tuesday is one of my favorite events to connect with residents,' Mayor Rod Roberson said. 'My administration looks forward to our fourth season of this important series of events.' All meetings will begin at 6:30 pm. Dates are: April 15: 5th District with Councilman Brent Curry, Pierre Moran Pavillon, 119 W. Wolf St. May 27: 3rd District with Councilman David Henke, Pinewood Elementary School, 3420 E. Bristol St. June 24: 1st District with Councilman Aaron Mishler, High Dive Pavillon, 500 E. Beardsley Ave. July 22: 6th District with Councilwoman LaTonya King, McNaughton Pavillon, 701 Arcade Ave. Aug. 26: 4th District with Councilman Dwight Fish, Studebaker Pavillon, 1020 McDonald St. Sept. 23: 2nd District with Councilman Chad Crabtree, Willowdale Pavillon, 1320 Olive St. In addition, at-Large council members Arvis Dawson, Alex Holtz and Tonda Hines will be in attendance. The public is invited to all events and no reservations are required. More information about Let's Talk Tuesday and upcoming events are available on the City of Elkhart app, MyElkhart311; on the city website, or on social media, @CityofElkhart.
