Hamlet Council President Hopes Stellar Designation Would Help with Perception Issues

Hamlet Town Council President Dave Kesvormas hopes a Stellar Community designation for Starke County could help make the town more welcoming of future development. During last week’s council meeting, Kesvormas said he’s not 100-percent sold on the Stellar Communities Program, but he thinks it would help put certain things in a more favorable light.

“When somebody mentions something, whether it be gentlemen’s clubs, pig farms, and other things that create revenue, you’ve got the busybodies, the coffee klatches, and they come down and they want to oppose it and get upset and get jealous,” he said. “Whatever reason they have against those certain things, we send a bad message, in my opinion, of ‘We’re not open for business and we’re not going to grow and we’re not going to generate tax revenue for the school, for us, enhance our community,’ all those great things above.”

His comments came during a discussion about potential improvements to Railroad Street and the possibility that some trees may have to be removed if sidewalks are to be repaired. Earlier this month, Hamlet officials joined other local leaders in attending an informational meeting on the Stellar Communities Program.