By By JAMES COLLINS / Niles Daily Star
NILES -- To go along with the recent State of the Union and State of the State addresses, Niles Mayor Michael McCauslin gave a State of the City address to the Niles-Buchanan Rotary Club on Monday afternoon.
McCauslin gave a brief overview of the past, present and future of the Niles community.
The mayor began his speech with the bad news by announcing that revenue sharing is down $350,000 for the city, with the possibility of losing a little more in the future.
He then quickly shifted gears to announce the long list of positive things happening in Niles.
McCauslin started by praising the new Law Enforcement Complex, a "unique facility" that is the culmination of a six-year planning process.
He mentioned the improvements being made with the new fire station/council chambers and the Big Brown Takedown in downtown Niles.
He mentioned some of the improvements that are coming in the near future including the new YMCA facility, the beautification project at the Amtrak station, the separation of downtown's storm and sewer drains and the streetscape project.
McCauslin said the streetscape project is especially important to downtown because it will create a "more attractive, more inviting" environment.
He also recognized the importance of developing the intersections of Fourth and Fifth Street with Main Street.
McCauslin said this area is a gateway to the city and downtown Niles and it needed a facelift that will provide a "welcome to Niles" feeling.
The city also needs to determine what will be done with the current Ready Theatre building, as the business will soon be moving to Front Street.
He said the city's department heads have been very fiscally conservative by getting everything they can out of each penny they spend.
He said the city will continue on the path of these new developments and continue to become more pro-business.