Business View Civil Municipal - Sept 2023

68 CIVIL AND MUNICIPAL VOLUME 4, ISSUE 9 So, we’re working with several different telecom companies to get the best infrastructure there.” Training the workforce While work-from-home is a trend that’s here to stay, onsite work still comprises the major percentage of the city’s workforce. Bill Cuppy, president of the Logansport-Cass County Chamber of Commerce, agrees that developing skilled workers is an important agenda item for the city. The chamber works closely with Logansport’s Century Career Center, which provides career and technical education programs to high school students from seven surrounding school corporations. It offers nine college and career pathway choices, such as manufacturing, healthcare, construction, etc., along with a selection of 55 program options for students in grades 9-12. “We’ve purposely brought the local private industries into the Career Center to help develop the curriculum – not only what’s mandated by the state, but also what we’re specifically looking for with new talent,” he relates. “So, we’ve tried to tie together not only the Career Center initiative but also internships to get them in the door early – junior, senior year – so, hopefully, when they graduate or go on to college, they’re thinking about coming back to Logansport to work here. Our local redevelopment commission had spent a lot of money to make sure we’ve upgraded our Career Center equipment and machinery, so it’s staying up to speed on technology and the modern techniques these businesses use. It’s been a good partnership; the Chamber has been in the middle coordinating it among the school boards.” Housing for all As the city anticipates new growth, Logansport is looking to expand its housing options. On the east side of town, 52 new homes are being built, and the city is hoping to get the area’s infrastructure in by the end of this year. “We were able to get a $1.5 million grant from the state, which saved the taxpayers money on the infrastructure,” Martin says. “We’ve got new housing set for construction,