The City of Carmel recently welcomed 10 representatives, including the mayor, deputy mayor and other top officials from Carmel’s Sister City Jelgava, Latvia.
As a part of this partnership, the group met with many city directors and toured many municipal facilities on all sides of the city including Police and Fire Headquarters, City Hall, Central Park and West Park, and the Street Department.
Members of the Jelgava delegation visit with Mayor Jim Brainard at City Hall. (From left) Marta Vebere, External and Foreign Public Relations Officer; Gunta Auza, Director of Education Board; Inese Meija, Director of Administration; Maris Mielavs, Director of Urban Management; Rita Vectirane, Jelgava Deputy Mayor; Jim Brainard, Carmel Mayor; Andris Ravins, Jelgava Mayor; Andris Berzins, Honorary Consul Republic of Latvia; Viktors Vanags, Jelgava Chief of Police; Irena Skutane, Executive Director of Jelgava State city municipality; and Mintauts Buskevics, Director of Culture. (Photo provided by City of Carmel)
A key element of their visit was learning about Carmel’s growth through public-private partnerships as they walked through redevelopment projects in City Center, Midtown, the Arts & Design District, including the Palladium and Songbook Museum. They also had the opportunity to learn more about residents’ daily lives as they visited the public library, Carmel High School, and Republic Airways’ new headquarters and training facility.
The timing of their visit also allowed them to see the traditions of the Carmel community such as the high school homecoming parade, a Friday night football game, and the International Arts Festival. They also learned about the city’s project with Volkswagen, which sparked some ideas about ways to collaborate on some of Carmel’s initiatives.
The group expressed their excitement for the opportunity to experience Carmel firsthand and looks forward to more exchanges in the future.