As he reflected on his accomplishments as Northwest Indiana’s congressman, U.S. Rep. Frank Mrvan, D-Highland, told a packed room of Gary business people that his work is a product of his love for constituents.
“I do this because I love people,” Mrvan said. “And I do this because I have an opportunity to work in a bipartisan, collaborative way with local, state (and federal) officials that point out what our future is going to look like.”
Mrvan was the Gary Chamber of Commerce’s featured speaker at its monthly meeting Monday afternoon at Chateau Banquets in Merrillville. His talk focused on work he’s done that’s leading to economic development and growth in Gary.
Chuck Hughes, the chamber’s president and CEO, thanked Mrvan for his work in the community and with the chamber. Hughes and other chamber members recognized Mrvan at the end of his talk Monday.
“He understands the importance of good-paying jobs, and he wants to help grow Northwest Indiana’s economy,” Hughes said.
Gary is one of the region’s “most welcoming cities,” Mrvan said Monday. During his talk, Mrvan said he’s helped with work that’s improved the city’s quality of place, including the Tolleston Opportunity Campus, which he said he had a “small role” in making come to fruition.
The Tolleston Opportunity Campus project was partially funded by American Rescue Plan Act dollars, which Mrvan helped pass in Congress. The $45 million campus houses the Gary Boys and Girls Club, YMCA and a Methodist Hospitals clinic.
“The YMCA is going to be good for children, it’s going to be good for working families, it’s going to be good for senior citizens, financial literacy, nutrition,” Mrvan said. “Overall, it’s good for our quality of life.”
Quality of place includes health care, Mrvan said, mentioning his support for federally qualified health centers, which as North Township trustee, he said he saw were important for community members.
“As a member of Congress, I fought to make sure that they had proper funding so they can provide access to health care on a sliding scale,” Mrvan said. “They provide access to health care, access to mental health (care) every single day.”
Mrvan has met with Edgewater Health President and CEO Dr. Danita Johnson Woods, who said the facility is facing “great financial challenges.” The congressman said he’s committed to working with her to provide funding for better physical and mental health care for the city of Gary.
He also highlighted his work with the double-tracking on the Northern Indiana Commuter Transportation District’s South Shore Line, which goes from Michigan City to Gary, according to Post-Tribune archives. The double-tracking adds about 18 miles of new track in a 26-mile corridor.
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Gary’s Miller train station has the track upgrades, but its main station downtown does not. The city is working to update the downtown station, which will include double-tracking.
The track upgrades have created more access to the area, Mrvan said, and they’re leading to more business and development within the area. Tax credits from the double-tracking project will help fund the revitalization of the downtown station, he added.
“We’ve been able to get even more money,” Mrvan said. “That revitalization is the anchor for the core of the economic boom here in the city of Gary.”
Mrvan said he’s also had a small role in ensuring the city has funding for blight elimination.
Mrvan also highlighted the importance of the Gary/Chicago International Airport, saying recent upgrades like a new air control tower and hangar will increase business at the facility, including cargo. He also said Buffington Harbor is a needed asset for the city that is needed for commerce.
During his talk, Mrvan also mentioned the Aug. 11 derecho that hit Northwest Indiana and left hundreds of thousands of residents without power, with some in Gary in the dark for two weeks.
Gary had the largest population without power, with 34,406 residents without power the afternoon of Aug. 11, according to Post-Tribune archives.
As the area’s representative, Mrvan worked with state, local and federal officials to get residents’ necessary help. Resources, including from the U.S. Federal Emergency Management Agency, were swiftly brought to Northwest Indiana because of bipartisan collaboration, Mrvan said.
That collaboration will continue to be important going forward, he said.
“What we learned in Gary, Indiana, is (the importance of) neighbors helping neighbors,” Mrvan said. “We also learned the value of our safety net social services and how they come together to help every single individual in Northwest Indiana.”
Mrvan encouraged the Gary Chamber of Commerce members to continue to work together to improve the city and region.
“We cannot attract new business unless we have a strong workforce,” Mrvan said. “And that workforce has to have a united front so that it creates opportunities … for Northwest Indiana — every individual in your community — so that we can continue to thrive.”