The city of South Bend cut two ribbons Wednesday on the Technology Resource Center at Innovation Park.
South Bend Mayor Pete Buttigieg got handed a virtual lightsaber, really a VR controller, to cut a ribbon coded by the South Bend Code School.
On the screen the ribbon turned into blue balloons. They also cut a real ribbon with the usual golden scissors for good measure.
The Technology Resource Center is a new space at Innovation Park. It will house a city department, the code school and a few other technology-based initiatives.
“It’s not just a hub for work that’s going on in the city administration, " Buttigieg said. "It’s for the community. It’s allowing us to help close the digital divide by creating more opportunities for people to get the skills that they need and the access that they need to really thrive in the digital age.”
The space will also be open for community events, meetings and trainings and as a co-working space.
“We’re really looking to the future and thinking about collaboration, technology and innovation can drive us forward and start to shape the future of South Bend.” said Denise Linn Riedl, the city’s Chief Innovation officer.
The first city program in the space will be a data analytics bootcamp this Winter and again in the Spring.