County 32: Bartholomew

I have visited Columbus many times as Lt. Governor, and every trip proves the progress they are making.　 I see new businesses growing, new buildings going up, and new life in the downtown area.　 Bartholomew County is second in the state for job growth, and it shows.　 As Lt. Governor I have made jobs announcements with companies like Cummins and so many others bringing high-paying jobs and much-needed investments.

Lt. Gov. Skillman presents the 2010
Hoosier Rising Star to Elizabeth Price.

But something I haven’t talked about much on this blog also makes Bartholomew County stand out: its people. I have had the pleasure of recognizing Bartholomew County residents for nearly every award and recognition I offer in my office.　 I selected Columbus natives Katie Logan (2008) and Elizabeth Price (2010) with the Rising Star Award, recognizing young people for their outstanding efforts to make a difference in their community.　

 

Another Bartholomew County native, Barb Garton, was honored with a Golden Hoosier Award.　 Barb was an easy choice for the Golden Hoosier.　 Her example of volunteerism and leadership is one I hope we can all follow.

In 2007, I proudly displayed the artwork of Christine Newland in my office.　 Her painting was a winner in my annual Celebration of Hoosier Women Artists competition.　 The 2012 competition is going on now, and　 I’m looking forward to selecting this year’s winners. (link to application)

I was also proud to recognize Shorty Whittington, a giant in the energy and agriculture industries, with one of the first AgriVision Awards.　 He was selected for his leadership in Indiana agriculture, helping make our industry one of the best in the world.　　

Bartholomew County Hoosiers are born leaders.　 I’m proud of the work they are doing to improve their cities and towns, whether that means bringing in new business opportunities or reaching out and being a good neighbor in their communities.　

County 31: Morgan

I brought my Hoosier Crossroads Tour to Morgan County this week. Waverly welcomed me with typical Hoosier hospitality, and after sitting down and hearing from local officials, I was able to get out and see the work they’re doing to rebuild their community.

Only a handful of counties were not named federal disaster areas after the June 2008 floods. It was a difficult time for Hoosiers, but thanks to a special Community Development Block Grant designated for disaster recovery, many communities have been able to regain lost ground. Waverly is one of those communities.

Lt. Gov. Skillman tours area of Waverly damaged in 2008 floods.

Waverly has taken great strides, buying properties damaged by flooding, and moving toward the ultimate goal of creating a living history park, complete with a picture-perfect turn-of-the-century church and an old blacksmith shop. But local leaders are doing far more than rebuilding and restoring. They are leveraging grant dollars, administered through our Office of Community and Rural Development, to train fire fighters and members of Marion and Morgan County SWAT teams.

With so many structures slated for demolition, Waverly has become the perfect training ground for the National Fire Fighters Association. For the past two years, fire fighters from Indiana and across the country have been coming to Morgan County for critical training they can use to instruct colleagues back home. More than 800 fire fighters have been trained each year at the NFFA annual conference, and in 2012, they will add to that number. The county’s use of in-house labor for demolition and training purposes is now being called a best practice by FEMA.

Waverly has a vision for the future. I was impressed with the outstanding way this small community has taken a disaster and used it to their advantage, even spurring the local economy. I hope their example will inspire others to think strategically about what they can achieve and how they can get the most out of the resources available to them.

County 30: Johnson

Some of my lowest days as lieutenant governor were in the summer of 2008, when much of Indiana was rocked by severe flooding. I spent days traveling the state to view the damage and thank volunteers who came out to help their neighbors. That year, disasters were declared in 82 of our 92 counties.

Hoosier in the town of Princes Lakes greet the
Lt. Governor as she tours the new dam project.

But as is typical with this administration, we sprung into action, securing millions in disaster relief funding that our state agencies have distributed to help with recovery.

I visited one such project on my stop in Johnson County on January 6. There, in the town of Princes Lakes, I viewed progress on the East Lake Dam. The East Lake Dam is a $1.75 million project that was part of our state’s $25 million investment to for dams and levees that failed during the 2008 storms.

Dams and levees aren’t projects we have to think a lot about in many parts of Indiana, but the importance cannot be overlooked. Complete failure of the East Lake Dam could have caused any number of problems, from bridges being wiped out leaving homeowners stranded, to flooded lift stations releasing sewage into receiving streams. The compromised dam at East Lake had also contributed to a 30% drop in home values in the area.

By steering federal disaster relief funds toward this and other similar projects, we are creating economic activity, and preserving parts of Indiana for decades to come.

Lt. Governor Becky Skillman’s Report on the State of Local Government

Letter from the Lt. Governor to Indiana legislators. 

Dear colleagues:

In July, I announced that I was embarking on a 92-county tour of Indiana that we called the Hoosier Crossroads Tour. As part of this tour, I decided to do something that – as best we could tell – had never been done by a state executive.   I planned to sit down with local elected leaders in as many counties as possible for a frank discussion about the state of local government in Indiana.

During the late summer and fall of 2011, I held these meetings in 27 counties.  In each county, I took the opportunity to meet with local elected officials in a roundtable brainstorming session to discuss running the business of the city, town, or county.  The meetings have been open, honest, and a frank assessment of local governments’ successes and challenges.  The following pages contain the results of these discussions and my recommendations, but first a few things to note.

This report is not intended to replace any work done before, including the Kernan-Shepard Report.  My work was different due to the face-to-face discussions with local officials.  However, the Kernan-Shepard Report recommendations were discussed during the meetings.  We also talked about other topics, such as ways state government can eliminate red tape and the locals’ best practices that can be replicated throughout the state.

This document is not intended as an endorsement of everything mentioned by local officials.   As a former county official, (decades ago) I agreed with some of the responses reported here and also disagreed with some, and some are not feasible.  My recommendations appear on the next page.

Finally, I’d like to thank those who participated in the discussion. With rare exception, Hoosiers are electing thoughtful and caring men and women to local office. 

I enjoyed facilitating a conversation about providing services to our mutual constituents.  In 2012, I will visit the remaining 65 counties. I hope this type of communication between state and local government continues well into the future.

Read the entire report.

County 29: Elkhart

There are currently 137 artists who have been accepted into the Indiana Artisan program, and Elkhart County’s two artists share an arts studio in the heart of downtown Elkhart. I recently visited the studio of Kay Westhues and Jake Webster, who both are enriching the community and state with their art.

Kay, a photographer, had on display a series of beautiful photos of rural Indiana. Jake sculpts using wood, stone, and cement. He also creates mixed media paintings and collages.  More information about Kay and Jake can be found at www.indianaartisan.org.

I helped create the Indiana Artisan program almost four years ago to provide marketing support, an Internet presence and tourism-focused "Artisan Trails" for our talented Hoosiers. Three Lt. Governor agencies collaborated with the Indiana Arts Commission to develop the Indiana Artisan program. It was so successful; we took it out of government’s hands and made Indiana Artisan a non-profit organization.

Whether you are interested in arts, crafts or specialty food items; chances are there is a local artisan in your community. In fact, my first Hoosier Crossroads Tour visit was to Maplewood Farms, founded by Indiana Artisan Tim Burton who specializes in maplewood syrup made in Jackson County (http://beckyskillman.blogspot.com/2011/07/county-1-jackson.html).

Indiana Artisan makes it easy to buy local and support your fellow Hoosiers.

County 28: Decatur

We came full circle recently while visiting Decatur County Memorial Hospital (DCMH). Exactly 14 months ago I launched the Indiana Telehealth Network at the hospital. Now the network is well underway at Decatur County’s rural access hospital.

The Telehealth Network is providing better patient care to those living in our rural areas. Doctors at DCMH are using a fiber-optic broadband network to remotely consult in real time with other healthcare professions, who are in other cities, to accurately diagnose and treat patients. For instance DCMH is connected with IU Health and the telestroke network, and now stroke victims are treated faster and more effectively. Also, DCHM is becoming a video conferencing host site next year for the Indiana Rural Health Association.

Lt. Governor Skillman praises officials for their work in bringing the Indiana Telehealth Network to Decatur County. The Telehealth Network is providing better patient care to individuals living in rural areas of Indiana. 

There are 57 state-wide facilities – most are critical access hospitals – that are part of the Indiana Telehealth Network. I recently celebrated St. Vincent’s Williamsport Hospital’s completion of its telehealth network in Warren County. Check out the video from the news conference here. 

Each critical access hospital that is part of the Indiana Telehealth Network is opening doors for better connectivity throughout their community and state. So it is not just better healthcare that we celebrate – we celebrate better communications for Decatur County and the entire state. Individuals, families and business stand to benefit from the Indiana Telehealth Network.

County 27: Tipton

I visited Tipton County on a Friday and found that talking to local leaders there was a great way to end the week.

During a brief but informative time in the City of Tipton, I sad down with city, town and county elected leaders to hear about local issues and their perspective on state government. This all comes as my staff and I prepare the report on what we’ve learned from local leaders these past six months. We are compiling the thoughts from the leaders in Tipton County – and the 26 other counties I’ve visited so far on my Hoosier Crossroads Tour – to give a report on the state of local government in Indiana. This report will be available here on the website.

One thing Tipton does well is making the downtown district a welcoming hub for business and community. I was impressed with the number of businesses clustered along Main Street and only wished there had been time in the day’s packed schedule to stop in and see what the local shops were offering for the holidays.

Every community has something special to offer. The saying goes, "If you’ve seen one small town, you’ve seen them all." But I always say, "In Indiana, if you’ve seen one city or town, then you’ve just seen one." Each is different, with its own flavor and unique assets that make you want to stay and get to know the people there.

I learned a lot from the meeting I had. Look for our complete report soon.