Gary Mayor Eddie Melton is outlining his plans for his first 100 days in office.
He told Gary Chamber of Commerce members Monday that a number of local contractors are donating their services to demolish up to 100 abandoned homes in the city's Aetna neighborhood. "The next few weeks, our goal is to help transform this neighborhood and the community," Melton said. "I want the constituents to see a new and revitalized Gary. Our hope is to inspire others to step up."
But he admitted that blight elimination can't be entirely addressed in one year or even one mayoral term.
Melton said he met Sunday with Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson to encourage the two cities to work together to develop the Gary/Chicago International Airport. "We're no threat to Chicago Midway or O'Hare," Melton said. "We are a partner to them. We are able to take that excess traffic that they cannot take. That's the Gary/Chicago International Airport."
He said the airport and the nearby Buffington Harbor can become a logistics hub for North America.
Melton also touted state legislation to redevelop the Gary Metro Center station and encourage transit-oriented development downtown. He plans to launch a Downtown and Broadway Planning Summit to engage residents in that process.
