44 Business View Magazine - July 2016
Scott-Henry’s Department has also developed an ur-
ban conservation team to help address the city’s mas-
sive amount of property vacancies, as well as maintain
its installed green infrastructure and, in conjunction
with the city’s Parks and the General Services Depart-
ments, some of its natural areas and open spaces,
as well. This year, in partnership with the U.S. Forest
Service and the Student Conservation Association,
Gary is launching the Gary Green Team comprised of
youths who are being groomed to do urban conserva-
tion work. One of Scott-Henry’s plans is for the Team to
do a tree inventory throughout the city in preparation
for developing a tree master plan in an attempt to bet-
ter manage Gary’s natural resources.
Lastly, Scott-Henry mentions the demolition of the old
and abandoned, 14-story Sheraton Hotel, the tallest
and ugliest building in Gary, and a prominent symbol of
the city’s decay and neglect, as one of her “most excit-
ing projects.” The structure, which was originally built
in 1971, went dark after just 14 years, and ever since
has been no more than an empty eyesore. Gary’s $1.8
million Sheraton demolition project has received city,
state, and federal funding, including money from the
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and U.S.
Department of Housing & Urban Development. “This
August, we will begin the construction of phase one of
a green infrastructure design plan for that site,” she
adds, happily.
Among Mayor Freeman-Wilson’s many responsibilities
is making Gary an attractive city for business invest-
ment, now that the heady days of steel are long gone.
She sees the city’s future linked to its location and its
potential as a transportation hub, able to synergize
the energies and efficiencies of air, rail, road, and wa-
