I am really enjoying the expansion of WBAA’s local news and information, especially the Ask the Mayor series.  I listened to Mayor John Dennis’ from January 8th, 2015 and took some notes about the topics discussed with Kristin Malavenda.

NOTE:  These are crude notes and not a transcription.  The items should, however, be in the order they were discussed however.

• Are you running for Mayor again?
  • Yes. Low key filing. We have had a lot of encouragement and enthusiasm. It would be somewhat incomplete to leave right now. Want to make sure the transition from a Class 3 to a Class 2 City goes smoothly.
• How are you handling the recent cold weather with ice and snow?
  • Transition went well to new Street Department Director.
  • Did you purchase salt ahead of the curve?
    • Yes.
    • The State (INDOT) also did donate some used blades and equipment to the WL Street Department.
• New natural gas trash trucks, any problems?
  • No, not that the Mayor is aware of.
• Citizen Question: Why was there such a delay on the Cumberland construction? It has been hard to navigate in certain areas due to inadequate signs.
  • A lot was going wrong in this area, both on the surface and underneath the ground. Realigning the utilities is taking a tremendous amount of time. Appreciate the patience.
  • Is it at a stand still?
    • Not a whole lot will be done until the next construction season.
    • Special needs for plowing the road.
    • Some times things beyond our scope forces sign issues. Contact the Mayor’s office and he will address the issues.
• Old CVS Building what are the plans at US 52?
  • City has no control or authority to remedy the issue at US 52.
  • Some times national and international companies buy and squat on land to stop competition.
  • We want to make sure West Lafayette has the right taste, feel, and appearance that fits our personality.
  • Create a sense of activism on their part to help shape the landscape.
• Where does the development at the Levee stand? Does the State Street Master Plan have a role in this?
  • Late 70s and early 80s, strip malls popped up all over the place.
  • The strip mall concept has run its course.
  • You are not going to see the same quality of businesses that you saw 10 to 15 years ago. Retail in general is changing.
  • How much do you spend in the store vs. online this holiday season?
  • We as City leaders need to be agile enough to respond to that. When we do City Planning, those are things we consider. What is the future of the market place? What is the draw? What types of businesses generate this pedestrian traffic in and out of the business. If we had crystal balls, we could predict that.
• Body cameras for the WL PD, how have they played out, resident response?
  • We started getting more technology in policing.
  • The body cams are the primary tool for having accountability.
  • Documents the event, should there be some sort of issue in the future.
  • WL PD is also serving as a reference point for other police departments.
  • A lot of technology to purchase to support these recordings on the back end.
• Lafayette and Tippecanoe recently redid their animal control ordinances. Will West Lafayette update their code?
  • We have had individual conversations with the Council. Might be something we are going to visit in the near future.
  • We have over 127 different countries represented in West Lafayette. A lot of different cultures. Certain behaviors that might work well in other communities, but now here. We need to be sensitive to that.