Dunbar reflects on first 10 months as Mayor

In the blink of an eye, Greencastle mayor Lynda Dunbar is almost done with her first year of her first term. 

Elected last November as the first Republican mayor in 36 years, Dunbar took over the reigns of city hall in January and has seen the first 10 months of her tenure filled with construction, road projects and much more. 

The US 231 project through the heart of Greencastle has been trying at times, but Dunbar said her focus isn't just on US 231 but other roads around Greencastle. 

"When you drive around the community, I think you get a sense of the community by how maintained their roads are and how important that is. By doing some other things like working on stormwater and putting in curbs and sidewalks, it helps extend the life of our roads. It also reflects what kind of community we are. They are expensive and myself and previous mayors had the task of trying to figure out how to keep good roads, sidewalks and all that. We have done some improvements with other administrations but I am going to have to deal with some roads," Dunbar told The Putnam County Post.

Dunbar also said the city has reached a point in time where utilities and infrastructure improvements also need to be addressed. 

"We have reached a point in time, which is my point in time, where we need to address those things or we are going to have some consequences. We are to this point where our infrastructure is aging. We have opportunities to go after Community Crossings Matching Grants and different grants that other administrations didn't have. We are at the opportunity where we have some different opportunities. I am focused on infrastructure because I know there are dollars out there we can get," Dunbar said.  

One area Dunbar admits she is proud of is the work the city employees have been doing under her leadership. 

"They have really embraced the whole mindset that we all work for the city of Greencastle and we all work together. It started at city hall and a lot of people have taken on new roles and new responsibilities. Jason Keeney is in charge of our cemeteries and parks department and he has done a great job since taking over both. We have had a lot of folks step up. Our street department is working hard on the landscaping at the YMCA and doing things they didn't use to," Dunbar admitted, adding city employees have enjoyed new training opportunities, as well as opportunities to take part in different projects and jobs. 

Dunbar said she wants citizens to get involved with the town's comprehensive plan, which will help set up the future of Greencastle. 

"The comprehensive plan is exactly that, a plan. What we do is we have a group of people who meet and it is people from all walks of life that do focus groups with our consultants. They got an idea of where the city of Greencastle should go. We take a look at quality of life and what we have. We look at infrastructure and what needs improved and refreshed. We look at neighborhoods and one thing that will come out of it is new zoning, new subdivision plans, etc. I know we are going to work on our sign ordinance and digital signs. We need to look at how things have changed and update our plans. The comprehensive plan takes a look at where we have been, what other folks are doing and where we want to be. This is not Lynda Dunbar's Plan, or the City Council's Plan but the citizens of Greencastle's plan. Everybody needs to give their input," Dunbar said. 

And, for all the success and excitement, there have been some lessons Dunbar acknowledges she has learned during her first ten months. 

"Communication is the key and we have to strive for better communication. After we do projects we look back and see what did we miss. We cannot be afraid to not take on things we think we can't do. We have some things we are working on inhouse," Dunbar said.

Moving forward, Dunbar said her focus will be on the planning department and code enforcement.  

"Those are areas we may need to clean up, get those sidewalks put in to get those street lights. We are also going to ramp up our stormwater/utility. We need to take a serious look at our water department. The water plant and sewer plant are in great condition, but it is time to look at our distribution system. We have problems with our water valves and we have to look at that infrastructure. Those will be the main points of emphasis so we can be more efficient so if we have a problem, we turn off less people. I think we will see more technology in the city. We need to get sidewalks and stormwater and our roads on GIS. We have some improvements in technology we need to do," Dunbar said.