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Merrillville Intermediate School students got to see the contentious side of municipal government during the May 9 Town Council meeting.
Attending as part of the Council’s Municipal Day, 22 students were paired off with council members, Clerk-Treasurer Kelly White-Gibson and other town officials, and the kids “shadowed” their counterparts through the meeting. They conducted the meeting — reading ordinances and reports — and those who were chosen to shadow the council cast votes as proxies to get the full experience.
Saniiya Fisher, who proxied Council President Rick Bella, D-5, for the evening, read a letter she wrote about the town and how it could be made better. She and her family have been in the town only a short time, she said, and she loves its diversity.
Fisher noted, however, that she sees “so much trash that hurts habitats” and “pollution that can cause heart problems.” If she was in charge, she would establish more parks, update the ones in town to make them accessible to all, and have a public swimming pool installed, among other things.
Although it likely won’t include a pool, the council did approve the purchase of land at 6680 Broadway to construct a new, state-of-the art Boys & Girls Club. Currently, Merrillville’s club meets in the Dean & Barbara White Center, and the purchase will set the town back $86,620.
The building, meanwhile, will cost upwards of $2 million, so the town through its Redevelopment commission pledged to pay $200,000 per year for 10 years from its Broadway TIF district.
Boys & Girls Club Board President Matt Glaros was thrilled at the announcement.
“We have a saying: Today’s kids are tomorrow’s leaders, and you’re looking right at them’,” Glaros said, gesturing at the students. “We couldn’t do this without the partnership of the town.”
The council also approved funding not to exceed $85,800 to make improvements to three of Merrillville’s parks, including Rosenbaum Park, which is a particular concern for Councilwoman Marge Uzelac, D-4. Bella pointed out that the appropriation “addresses some of the concerns” in Fisher’s letter.
The meeting went sideways when Councilman Leonard White, D-7, approached the council over a project he’s pursuing. White, with approval of the BZA, came before the council to get a zone change for a 2,000-square-foot space at 6120 Broadway, in which he wants to put an event/venue/environmental consulting office/union trades training facility.
Councilman Donald Spann, D-1, motioned to approve, but when the student assigned to Council Vice President Richard Hardaway D-2, seconded, however, Hardaway rescinded the motion. Councilman Shaw Pettit, D-6, then said he wanted to table White’s motion — and later another petition — so he could “digest the plans” and determine if the two could be detrimental to the White Center.
“I’m not against competition, but we paid a lot of money for the Community Center, which has the Mike Anderson Facility for events,” Pettit said. “We need to understand if that facility is being used to its full potential.”
White was outraged.
“Do you see this?” he said to the audience. “They can’t have anyone do anything because it’s political. Is the council violating my rights?”
“We’re not turning this down,” Pettit said. “I don’t think it’s unreasonable to set this aside for 30 days to digest it.”
“Just do your job,” White countered.
Chanda Flowers, who lost to Pettit in the primary earlier this month, took umbrage to the council’s handling of the two requests.
“Mr. Pettit, I don’t think it’s a good look for the town,” she said.
After the meeting, Bella wasn’t concerned that the rancor was detrimental to the students.
“This is real life, and it’s a great learning experience for the kids,” Bella said.
In other business, the council honored MIS Principal Kara Bonin, who spearheaded Municipal Day. Bonin is retiring at the end of the year after 30 years with the Merrillville School Corp.
Michelle L. Quinn is a freelance reporter for the Post-Tribune.
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