News release from the City of Fort Wayne:
Citizens Square new name for 200 E. Berry St.
City, County offices start move next month to new facility designed for better access to public, improved collaboration among departments(March 14, 2011) – After receiving national and international media attention, the name of the new home for more than 40 departments in City and County government at 200 E. Berry St. will be Citizens Square.
Fort Wayne Mayor Tom Henry announced the name this afternoon, which was inspired through the “Name Our Building” forum on Feedback Fort Wayne earlier this year.
“What is really historic is that the City and County have come together to better serve the citizens of one community,” Mayor Henry said. “It’s about the decisions we make for today and for the future. This building will be the seat of government for both the City of Fort Wayne and Allen County. We want it to reflect the spirit of our community and its important civic purpose.”
The website asked for suggestions from Fort Wayne residents. After receiving world-wide attention, votes and comments came pouring in from around the globe. A suggestion from that site was the direct inspiration for the final selection.
“The interaction of thousands is the beauty of the website. I’m pleased that the world had fun with it but in the end, the website served its purpose, which was to get people engaged in the process,” Mayor Henry said.
Mayor Henry reviewed a list of suggestions from the website, including the top vote-getter. Working closely with members of his administration, he wanted a name for the building that reflected the achievements of the community, not a single person.
“We wanted to gather ideas and get more people involved in their government. I can assure you we evaluated each suggestion,” Mayor Henry said. “Indeed, Feedback Fort Wayne has been a great success.”
City and County offices will begin moving into Citizens Square next month, with the transition complete in June. The City will provide updates in the weeks to come about when specific departments will move. “The goal of co-location in Citizens Square is about better serving our customers starting from the time of the transition and for the years to come,” Mayor Henry said.
Later this year, the City-County Building at One Main St. will house the Fort Wayne Police Department, the Fort Wayne Fire Department’s administrative offices and many of the Allen County Police Department’s staff.
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