Press release from the City of Fort Wayne:
Mayor Seeks Help from Public in Naming 200 East Berry Building
Provides Update on Building Renovation
(January 20, 2011) – Mayor Tom Henry gave the community an inside look today at the renovations underway at 200 East Berry Street, the future home of Fort Wayne and Allen County government offices. The Mayor also announced that he is seeking input from the community to help name the building.
“The renovation of 200 East Berry is proceeding on time and on budget. Demolition is about 90% complete,” stated the Mayor. “The changes that will transform this space into City and County management and development offices are on track for completion around the end of April.”
Co-location of many City and County government functions in the 200 East Berry building will realize the long-held goal of putting departments that deal with neighborhoods, streets, development and building permits into one location. The site will also become the executive and administrative base for Fort Wayne and Allen County government.
While contractors are working on physical improvements to the building, Mayor Henry is calling on the community to help with the work of naming the new government center. The City has launched a website where citizens can suggest names for the building and vote on the possibilities offered by others in the community. To participate, residents can go to FeedbackFortWayne.org and choose the forum entitled “Name Our Building.”
“Our new government center deserves a name that reflects both the spirit of this community and its important civic purpose, “said Mayor Tom Henry. “With the full co-location of City and County government, we are coming together as a community and charting a new course for the future. This new building is about better serving the public, using our resources wisely and rolling out the welcome mat for business by creating a one-stop shop for economic growth. It’s a big challenge to pack all of those messages into a few words. Here’s a chance to get inventive and share your ideas.”
The new location offers a solution to a number of space issues faced by both the City and County. Both local police departments were in inadequate and obsolete facilities. Those public safety services will now be housed in the current City-County Building at One East Main Street. Co-location at 200 East Berry provides a cooperative solution for City and County office space needs, demonstrates a productive re-use of an existing downtown building and fosters the potential for greater collaboration between departments.
“We are one community,” continued Mayor Henry. “Our commitment to building a more attractive and competitive Fort Wayne and Allen County has been strengthened by this forward-thinking decision. Together, we are reducing the footprint of local government, even as we create lasting value that benefits all taxpayers and residents. Co-location is not a City solution or a County solution, but a community solution.”
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