GREENFIELD — Affordable housing, attracting businesses to the north side industrial park and taking advantage of a $15 million grant program are some of Chuck Fewell’s top goals as he runs for a second consecutive term as mayor.
Fewell, who was appointed mayor in 2013 after the death of Mayor Dick Pasco, plans to run on a similar platform as he did in 2015: grow on the city’s successes.
“My total goal for the city of Greenfield is to be better than the day I first sat down in that seat,” Fewell said.
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In the past three-plus years since Fewell was chosen as mayor in an uncontested general election race, he said the city has advanced and prospered. Greenfield was part of a winning regional Stellar Communities designation; the city has paved more streets than it had in the past through a state grant program; and a major manufacturer, BeijingWest Industries, built a factory in town and pledges to hire 450 employees.
Greenfield also invested $700,000 in downtown facade improvements in 2018 thanks to an Indiana Office of Community and Rural Affairs grant and contributions from property owners and small businesses.
“I just get excited about the city because we’re a vibrant city,” Fewell said about Greenfield. “And when you’re vibrant, there are opportunities. And the people out here I think see that. I hope they understand some of the things we try to do.”
If elected to a second term in office, Fewell said he plans to focus on bringing more affordable housing options to the city as well as additional jobs, all while aiming to keep property taxes as low as possible.
Greenfield had a record year for housing permits in 2018 with 168, but not all city residents can afford to build a new home, Fewell said. The city needs more housing for people with low to moderate incomes, he said, as well as more homes and apartments geared toward young adults and young families. Fewell also said he’s in favor of adding more 55-and-older housing in the city.
As Fewell hopes to lure more housing developers to the city, he said Greenfield needs workers to fill those homes. Some people who work in Greenfield don’t live in the area, he added; many live closer to Indianapolis. Fewell said he hopes Greenfield’s growing amenity offerings and safe environment can attract workers to also live in the city.
Fewell himself isn’t a Hancock County native; he grew up in Shelby County until he married his wife.
“I enjoy being the mayor,” he said. “I came here not knowing I was going to be, but anything I undertake, I put 100 percent effort into what it’s going to take to make this city successful.”
Over the next five years, Greenfield officials will have to decide on and apply for grants offered through the Stellar Communities program. A region comprised of Greenfield, Hancock County and Fortville was chosen as one of two designees of the multimillion-dollar grant program last month. The area can bring in about $15 million worth of grants through Stellar, and the city has agreed to match up to $9 million for quality-of-life projects over five years.
Fewell also said the city has improved its utility infrastructure and police department operations.
“Opportunity will come,” Fewell said. “We want to keep growing.”
