Gary gives community groups the OK to fix up building

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Updated: February 13, 2012 10:49PM

GARY — City officials cleared the way for a group of citizens to fix up the old Miller Town Hall, which is on the National Register of Historic Places, and they dropped the city’s public nuisance case against one of its leaders.

Mary Cossey, head of the city’s new Mayor’s Office of Constituent Affairs, advised Miller resident Jim Nowacki that volunteers can move forward with repairs to the 100-year-old building, 6103 Miller Ave., which had been in disrepair.

“If this characterizes the new administration, then we can look forward to a lot more of this kind of volunteer work through throughout city,” Nowacki said.

Last year, Nowacki and volunteers from the Miller Historical Society Museum, Miller Concerned Citizens, Miller Improvement Group and Miller Garden Club removed broken concrete, erected a bird bath and replaced bushes with a planter.

Members of former Gary Mayor Rudy Clay’s administration tried to stop the work, even bringing up Nowacki on charges of being a public nuisance and destruction of public property for removing the concrete.

Cossey’s email, dated Friday, indicated the city will drop the charges.

Last week, Mayor Karen Freeman-Wilson unveiled a “good deeds” campaign to get residents involved in community improvements. That focus may have something to do with the city’s change toward the town hall volunteers, Nowacki said.

The city authorized Nowacki and his associates to repair and replace broken windows, resod and replace grass, install window treatments and park benches, and restore a parapet wall.

When Nowacki and his friends began the work last year, they were met by threats from city officials and the citation.

The group still has to work out a number of details on permits and other administrative matters, but they will continue their “pass the hat” fundraising, Nowacki said.

“Everyone kind of pitches in,” he added. “We’re all responsible community volunteers.”