Ditslear for Mayor of Noblesville

2004

• Noblesville and Hamilton County reached an agreement in spring 2004 to share the cost of the 146th Street expansion project.
• Mayor Ditslear and Commissioner Steve Dillinger traveled to Washington DC to try to secure federal funding for the 146th Street project (In 2005, the federal government approved $3 million for this project).
• In the fall of 2004, Hague Road between State Road 38 and State Road 32 opened to traffic.
• Worked with Representative Richardson and Senator Kenley for INDOT approval for stoplights at SR 19 and Field Drive and at Hague Road and SR 32. The stoplights made the intersections much safer.
• September 2004: Groundbreaking for Little Chicago Road – Phase One (included widening LCR from State Road 32 to 191st Street.
• Realignment work on the State Road 32/LCR/Hazel Dell Road intersection also began in the fall of 2004.
• Arranged to have a special census taken in 2005 in help us get more federal funds to use on local projects.
• The old Wal-Mart property finally began a renovation/facelift
• Began wrapping up $24 million dollars’ worth of infrastructure construction at Exit 10.
• Broke ground on Fire Stations 5 and 6
• The Noblesville Police Department began using tasers in 2004. This helped protect the safety of police officers when subduing a violent suspect.
• Began plans to renovate and expand City Hall. Chose the architectural firm and the construction management firm.
• Added recreation programs to the Parks Department
• The Parks Department began development for the park near 146th and Hazel Dell (now known as Dillon Park)
• Redesigned and debuted the city’s website.

2005

• Special census results showed a 37% population increase since the 2000 census.
• The groundbreaking for the City Hall expansion and renovation project was held in August.
• Plans began for Hamilton Town Center
• Westside development began to take off with the Noble West Shoppes project. Kroger was the first tenant.
• State 37 growth continued as well, including the Great Escapes movie theater!
• Work on Hazel Dell Road began to widen it to a 4-lane roadway
• Continued infrastructure work in the Corporate Campus
• Fire Station 5 opened in February and Fire Station 6 opened in October.
• Phase One of the Little Chicago Road project opened in November.
• Helmer, Inc. relocated and became the first business in the Saxony Corporate Campus.

2006

• In May, Noblesville was chosen and the #10 city in the book Best Places To Raise Your Family.
• In August, the groundbreaking for the 146th Street expansion project was held.
• In November, the renovated and expanded City Hall opened and staff moved into the building (the official ribbon cutting ceremony was held in January 2007).
• Cumberland Road and Greenfield Avenue was realigned.
• Businesses that opened in the Corporate Campus included the Stanley Corporation, Innovative Corporation, Verus Partners, Perkins Logistics, Intermetco, and the Cumberland Pointe Marketplace.
• Development Concepts was hired to create a strategic development plan for downtown Noblesville.
• The Street Department began a printer cartridge recycling program. This was a “green” program before “green” became popular!
• Wastewater began a multi-million dollar expansion of the treatment plant and the control building in order to keep up with the city’s growth as well as comply with state and federal regulations.

2007

• Forbes magazine ranked Noblesville as the 86th fastest growing suburb in America.
• BusinessWeek.com ranked Noblesville in the Top 25 most affordable suburbs in the country
• The ribbon cutting ceremony for the 146th Street project was held in October. This was a $52 million joint project between Noblesville and Hamilton County.
• Noblesville’s first roundabouts were constructed in 2007, which resulted in a smoother traffic flow.
• The downtown strategic development plan was approved in March.
• The downtown façade grant program was approved.
• The First Fridays program began.
• SMC Corporation announced they had chosen Noblesville to be the location of their North American headquarters.
• The first stores in Hamilton Town Center opened in the fall of 2007 (the remainder opened in the spring of 2008).
• The city bought 184 acres in Wayne Township for a future park.

2008

• Noblesville was chosen as the 2008 Community of the Year by the Indiana Chamber of Commerce.
• In May, Noblesville was designated as a Preserve America community.
• The first grant for the façade grant program was awarded in March.
• Other businesses who located to the Corporate Campus included: Verus Partners; Gaylor Electric; and Meritex Enterprises.
• In January, celebrated the conclusion of Phase I of the Wastewater expansion and held the groundbreaking for Phase II.
• Fire Station 7 began construction. Several “green” elements were chosen to be included in the building.

2009

• Family Circle chose Noblesville as one of the ten best communities for families.
• CNNMoney.com named Noblesville as the tenth best place in the country for affordable home.
• Wastewater began the Maple Avenue infrastructure improvement project.
• Noblesville became the first community in Indiana whose Wastewater department implemented an Environmental Management System
• The Sustain Noblesville committee debuted
• Fire Station 7’s ribbon cutting was held.
• Construction on the Street Department’s new building was completed.

2010

Financial challenges and successes:

• Weathered the reduced funding from property tax caps. Lost $2.9 million in 2010 due to reduced property tax revenue; however, the demand on city services did not decrease. Fires still have to be extinguished, criminals still have to be caught, potholes still have to be filled, streets have to be plowed, etc.
• Have been able to weather severe financial difficulties without a reduction in city services and without laying people off. Some communities have not been as fortunate—for example, some have had significant layoffs, some have closed fire stations.
• Worked hard to address the issue of reduced funding: cut budgets as much as possible, haven’t replaced workers who have resigned or retired, and reduced overtime.
• Also worked on innovative ways to reduce costs – an example is the Street Department’s use of brine vs. salt.
• Maintained our AA- bond rating – as assigned by Standard & Poor’s