Commissioner Steve Dillinger tried to tell a story in the annual State Of The County address, talking about what he described as the story of the community that is Hamilton County.

According to my news-gathering partner, the Hamilton County Reporter, over 400 people attended the Noblesville Chamber of Commerce luncheon at the Embassy Suites Wednesday.

“This isn’t a speech, it’s a story with a beginning, middle and end,” Dillinger said. “It’s important for the community to see what we’ve accomplished in the past year, what we’re still working on in the new year, and what we’re planning for the future. Hamilton County is constantly evolving.”

Dillinger cited numbers on local tourism, such as the $820 million in visitor spending during 2019, the 1.5 million hotel rooms occupied to more than 4 million people.  He pointed out the Nickel Plate Express as a tourist draw, with more than 25,000 passengers last year.

Dillinger spent time during the speech to provide updates on the Hamilton County Government Center, the jail expansion project and the solar energy effort.  He says county government saved $810,000 using solar power in 2019 and projects $25.6 million in savings in the coming 25 years.

Specific construction projects were mentioned by Commissioner Dillinger, including the completion of the Logan Street Bridge in Noblesville, the Lowe’s Way expansion in Carmel and the reconstruction of State Road 37 within Fishers and Noblesville.