Black History Celebration Dinner
January 31, 2023
No Comments
I am excited to share the details of the February 23rd Inaugural Black History Celebration Dinner. I put together the short slideshow below with details.
Rick Bella - Town Council President - Ward 5 Councilman
Happy New Year! 2022 was a little better than the past two years, and who can forget the crazy 2020 year? I will never forget 2020 as it was the year I returned to the Town Council, was sworn in, and voted in as President by my fellow council members. Then, just as things were getting going, we heard the news and warnings of COVID in March and the next thing I knew we were closing town offices to keep everyone safe.
We were not prepared to have so many town employees working from home and had to scramble like many other companies to purchase laptop computers so town offices could continue to function as much as possible. We did it though, but not without much expense and extra effort by all of our town staff.
Today, as we celebrate the new year we can look back on the past year and also celebrate how our town did in 2021. Take a look below as some of our accomplishments last year.
It was a busy year... look at some of our accomplishments
Economic Growth - Building Community - Helping Our Community - Innovative Thinking for Projects
Perhaps one area to celebrate was the town’s unprecedented economic growth. Amazon selected Merrillville as the site of their brand new last mile facility and opened offering a variety of over 300 new jobs to the region.
We also celebrated the opening of Midwest Truck and Auto Supply, Domino’s Supply Chain, Big Lot’s Warehouse, Quality Pasta, and soon some other national names will be building in the Ameriplex at the Crossroad business park.
We re-opened Merrillville and brought back many of our regular festivities as well as added some new ones. Juneteenth and National Night Out were new events brought back as well as the July 4th Fireworks and Parade for all to enjoy.
We began using the American Rescue Plan Act federal funding to purchase new police cars and police equipment, updated HVAC at Town Hall, and employee bonuses for those who worked through COVID and went a year without a raise.
We have been providing matching grants to residents up to $5,000 and businesses up to $10,000 to assist with repairs or expansions to businesses that suffered due to lost income/revenue due to COVID.
We continued our promise to place Diversity, Inclusion, and Equality front and center and consider these in all decisions that we made throughout the year. We are keeping it more than just signing a poster pledge.
Replaced two old 1990’s era dump tucks to be used for snow removal and other projects in Public Works/Street Department.
Began a town-wide beautification program at Town Hall to match the improvements already done on 93rd Avenue.
Improved, repaired, and resurfaced another $5M worth of streets in a variety of neighborhoods throughout the town.
Listed below are a few of my most recent blog posts. Visit the blog tab above in the menu to see all posts.
Tremendous Growth in Merrillville
January 26, 2023
No Comments
Each year in January we are presented with the Planning and Building Departments Year in Review report. It is a comprehensive report from Planning and
What’s Going On in Washington?
January 24, 2023
No Comments
Let’s be honest, when classified documents were hauled out of Mar-a Lago, FL at past President Trump’s private residence many democrats giggled and displayed shock
Good Paying Jobs Available with the Town
January 13, 2023
No Comments
The Town of Merrillville is offering four full-time positions in our Public Works department. The job titles are Labor Class 1 and are entry-level positions
Honored by my fellow Council members
January 11, 2023
No Comments
Pictured above – Rick Bella (right) with Indiana Governor Eric Holcomb at an event at the Dean and Barbara White Community Center. I was honored
Filing for Re-Election Accomplished as Promised
January 5, 2023
No Comments
I have officially filed for re-election to serve my neighbors in Ward 5 of Merrillville. Yesterday was the first day of filing at the Lake
Thank you for your Support
It is hard to believe that we are again embarking on another Primary Election. I have announced my candidacy to run again for the Town Council so I may serve you for another 4 years.
There is much to do so we can collectively continue to make Merrillville a great place to live and own a business. Thank you all for your overwhelming support in the past and for casting your vote for me to represent you on the Town Council.
Thank you also for enduring (during campaign season) all of the campaign signs, mailings, knocking on your doors, and phone calls. It is all necessary to get the word out and I hope that we were not too intrusive.
We can use this website to communicate with each other. You may click on the ‘contact’ tab at the top and send me a message at any time. I’ll get back to you as soon as possible, always!
Be sure to sign up to receive blog postings via your email. That way you will get a notification each time I make a new post so you can stay up to date on town news. Let’s work together so we can keep Merrillville a great place to live and even make things better for our community. You may also call 219-736-5217 so we may chat. Email is also a great way for us to communicate so we have a record and history of our conversations. Email me at RickBellaWard5@gmail.com
I look forward to hearing your suggestions, ideas, and comments, as well as answering your questions about our great town. If you have an interest in serving on one of the various town boards or commissions, like the Plan Commission, Board of Zoning Appeals, Police Commission, and others, please let me know by sending me your request and a bio about yourself. I will create a blog post about what openings will be available as soon as I receive that information each year.
Once again, thank you for your support. I look forward to a new and exciting year. I’ll be in touch. -Rick Bella