Mike Wolanin | The Republic Columbus Mayor Jim Lienhoop talks about the history of the NexusPark site during the NexusPark groundbreaking ceremony at NexusPark in Columbus, Ind., Wednesday, Feb. 8, 2023. The photo below Mayor Lienhoop shows 25th Street and the gate leading to the Bartholomew County Fairgrounds in 1911. The Bartholomew County Fairground used to occupy the site where NexusPark is located.
Columbus Mayor Jim Lienhoop will deliver the 2023 State of the City address Monday evening at The Commons.
There will be a 5 p.m. reception, with guests able to meet and greet with the mayor, Columbus City Council members and city administrative staff. The program begins at 5:45 p.m. The event is free and open to the public, city officials said.
According to Jody Coffman, the city’s communication and events coordinator, there will also be a virtual option. Community members will be able to watch the speech live at columbus.in.gov or on the Columbus Police Department’s Facebook page. After the event, the video will be available in the “News” section of the city’s website.
This will be Lienhoop’s final State of the City address as he announced in November that he would not seek a third term.
“We intend to spend a little time talking about some of the accomplishments over the last seven years, but more importantly focus a little bit on the future and what we hope to get done here in the rest of 2023 and then perhaps kind of a stage we can set for what comes after me,” he said in a previous interview. “We’ll also spend a fair amount of time talking about NexusPark.”
He added that they plan to “have some fun” with this year’s event, and a choir from The Sanctuary Church will perform the national anthem and a few other selections.
Light refreshments will be available during the reception, and musical entertainment will begin at 5:45 p.m., said Coffman.
