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HomeMy WebLinkAboutState of the Town 2008Mayor Ed Honea's State of the Town speech Apri117, 2008 Thank you, Paul, for that kind introduction. Welcome to Marana's State of the Town luncheon. Before I get started, I want to take this opportunity to thank my wife. Jan, your patience and understanding help make my job a lot easier. You know the hours that all of us in public service put in are often long and unpredictable. You make my life easier because you know that I work for the citizens of Marana and that the Council and I are on ca1124 hours a day. Thank you for understanding.. hove you. I also want to thank the Marana Unified School District for making this facility available today. It took a lot of effort on the part of the district and the Marana Chamber of Commerce and I appreciate everything they did. Thanks also are owed to Texas Roadhouse and owner Paul Bigelow for this great lunch. Paul made sure we didri t get stuck with rubber chicken. I also want to thank all of you who have taken time out of your busy schedules to join us. I know you have many commitments in your day and I appreciate your interest in our Town. To better familiarize you with Marana, I want to offer a geographic overview. Marana is divided into three distinct regions. Today, we're gathered in North Marana, where the Town was born. This is where much of our Western heritage still thrives, with ranches and farms dotting the landscape. It's also where the housing boom that started a few years ago continues and the place where our beautiful municipal complex is located. Old and new live comfortably together in North Marana. To the east of us is Dove Mountain, home of the PGA TOUR Accenture Match Play and the future location of a one-of-a-kind Ritz-Carlton development, which, when it opens next year, will include a hotel, residences and two Jack Nicklaus designed golf courses. Dove Mountain includes homes that accommodate most anyone's budget as well as one of our two retirement communities, Heritage Highlands. To the south is Continental Ranch, the Towri s largest residential development. There are more than 4,000 homes located in Continental Ranch, which has been around for nearly 20 years. Located nearby is Sunflower, Marana's other retirement community. Continental Ranch also is home to our Towri s main business district with restaurants, large anchor stores and small specialty shops. Your Town Council represents everyone who lives and does business here. We areri t elected by districts or wards. Council members who live in Continental Ranch respond just as quickly to Dove Mountain residents as they do people in their own community. Please join me in thanking Vice Mayor Herb Kai and Council members Russell Clanagan, Patti Comerford, Carol McGorray, Jon Post and Roxanne Ziegler. During last year's State of the Town luncheon, I discussed many exciting initiatives that were taking place in Marana. Because your Town Council and I believe in accountability, I'm ready to report on the progress that has been made since last April. Building our downtown We believe in the importance of a thriving downtown. As many of you know, we lost our downtown in the 1960s when Interstate 10 was constructed. I'm here to tell you that plans are moving forward to build a single central business district that will make all of us proud. The Marana Health Center already has purchased land to place a new, modern facility across the street from the Marana Municipal Complex. We also have spoken with numerous individuals who want to invest in our downtown by bringing much-needed shopping and housing to Northwest Marana. We believe in the importance of a downtown in our community where our citizens can gather to enjoy life in Marana. Heritage Our Town believes in the importance of heritage. To prove that point, we soon will be dedicating our Heritage Park in Gladden Farms that will recognize and remember where this community has been. The. park will include a museum, train ride for children and eventually a reconstructed cotton oil building. The Marana Food Bank already is farming 40 acres in the park, producing food that is being used to help the less fortunate in our community. Much of this work is taking place thanks to the dedication of our former mayor and Town matriarch, Ora Mae Harn. Another critical component of our heritage is being addressed by a group of investors who are moving through the development process to establish a cemetery in Town. We have lost important parts of our history by not having a final resting place for our citizens. We are making sure that doesri t continue to happen. We are working toward establishing a complete community, one that fulfills all the needs of its residents. General Government The Town believes in serving Marana citizens. In the past year, we finished a comprehensive update of our General Plan, the blueprint for our community. We also distributed a survey that, when it came back, showed 80 percent of our residents intend to still live in Marana in five years. We are continuing to improve our development services processes in order to deliver quicker reviews, better processing response and a more organized approach to development in Marana. These changes have been made to show the Towri s commitment to those who have invested in our community, either as a business owner or resident. We believe in creating an even better quality of life for everyone who lives and does business here. Economic Development The Town believes in recruiting and retaining high-quality businesses that bring well-paying jobs to this community. We are building relationships with business owners and are making steps toward developing an economic blueprint, a plan for Marana's long-term economic development goals, objectives and strategies. This process also will help generate buy-in from citizens and the business community regarding our long-term economic outlook. We are participating in the Tucson Regional Economic Opportunities' Shovel Ready Program, which helps inventory and certify sites in our community that are ripe for economic development, specifically those in the manufacturing or industrial realms that create high-paying jobs. These are just a few examples of how the Town believes in the importance of a strong, thriving business community. Community Safety Marana's Council and staff believe in quality public safety. Our police department is represented by trained and responsible officers who do an excellent job of keeping the peace. The department has kept pace with the Towri s rapid growth over the past decade, with 2.25 sworn officers per 1,000 residents. That's a better ratio than most other fast-growing towns and cities in the state. Our police department is fully engaged with the community, attending homeowner association meetings, public events and participating in public education through our Citizens Police Academy. Our police department continues to show its expertise in planning and protecting during large-scale events. More than 80,000 fans had an enjoyable and safe time during the PGA TOUR Accenture Match Play in February thanks to the Marana Police Department. More than 10,000 people visited the SAHBA Parade of Homes, another event that was kept secure by our police department. Our equestrian unit was part of the security detail at two of the largest sporting events in our state this year -the Fiesta Bowl and Super Bow142 in Glendale. The department also keeps our roadways safe through strict DUI enforcement. In fact, Marana Police Officer Jason Cann and Deputy Town Attorney Jane Fairall received awards last October from the Southern Arizona chapter of Mothers Against Drunk Driving. Jane was named one of four Top DUI Prosecutors and Jason was one of 16 officers to earn a DUI Enforcement Award. Efforts like theirs are critical to the safety of our residents and visitors. ************************ That's an impressive list of accomplishments from the past year, one that would make any town proud. But Marana refuses to stand still. There are many things left to accomplish before this becomes the community that we all envision. At the risk of alienating my Democrat friends in the audience, I must say that I admired former President Ronald Reagan. Some of the things he stood for - pride in our country, for example -were universal, regardless of party affiliation. One of the things he used to cite was the concept of a shining city upon a hill. In fact, it was that subject that wrapped up his final presidential address to the nation. In that speech, he referred to the semi-mythical city as, and I quote, "a tall proud city built on rocks stronger than oceans, wind-swept, God-blessed and teeming with people of all kinds living in harmony and peace, a city that hummed with commerce and creativity, and if there had to be city walls, the walls had doors and the doors were open to anyone with the will and the heart to get here." The former president could have been talking about many cities and towns across America, including Marana. While it would be more accurate to call ours a shining town in the valley, I like to think of this as a place where residents and business people alike can thrive. It's a place that welcomes anyone who enjoys living in a community that celebrates its past while carefully planning for its future. Marana is a place you can believe in. Of course, there remain many things to accomplish. Our work here never will be complete. No town or city can reach that unreachable goal. But that does not mean we wori t keep trying. First on our to-do list is reaching a resolution in our water and wastewater situations because nothing takes priority over securing those resources for our citizens. Water, wastewater We believe in self-determination. That's why we are trying to regain our wastewater service from Pima County and investigating the possibility of purchasing water infrastructure from the City of Tucson. It's an offer made by the City that we won't fully pursue until we are able to secure the renewable water that would need to be delivered to those customers. But it's an important consideration for Utilities Director Brad DeSpain and his staff. Floodplain We believe in the safety of our citizens. That's why we are in the final stages of a comprehensive floodplain study that will show who is in and who is out of the floodplain. The Federal Emergency Management Agency is trying to place much of Northwest Marana -mostly west of I-10 - in the floodplain because of the highly unlikely event of flooding off the Tortolita Mountains. The Town disagrees because we have several structures between Marana and the mountains, including the Central Arizona Project canal, Cortaro Marana Irrigation District canals, Union Pacific railroad tracks and Interstate 10. All of those manmade structures effectively serve as levees during such an unimaginable flood. A preliminary analysis of the true floodplain is scheduled to be submitted to the Town, Pima County Flood Control District and Pinar County Flood Control District in May for review. Once the local jurisdictions agree on the analysis, it will be forwarded to FEMA headquarters in June. We believe the study will show that most of the potentially affected area is not prone to flooding off the Tortolita Mountains because these levee-like structures do provide protection. In recent weeks, FEMA has been more willing to work with us on this issue, mostly thanks to the involvement of Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords, Senator Jon Kyl and their staffs. I believe both of them, as well as our Town Engineer Keith Brann and his staff, deserve a round of applause for their work. Improving roadways We believe in the importance of improving our Towri s roadways. Work is progressing on Thornydale Road and construction will begin on Silverbell Road from Ina to Cortaro next month. Tangerine Farms Road is about to open, which will remove a significant amount of traffic from Moore Road and the frontage road and give North Marana residents and visitors easy access to Interstate 10 and Tangerine Road. The Town also plans to begin receiving bids this summer on the Twin Peaks Interchange. That roadway will give Continental Ranch and Continental Reserve residents and visitors a clear path to the interstate and will open the east side of the freeway to the west side, eventually connecting Dove Mountain to Continental Ranch. These roadway improvements are necessary for our community and are being realized because of the work performed by our Public Works Director Barbara Johnson and Assistant Public Works Director Ryan Benavides. We also want to be a community that welcomes many different forms of transportation. Planned inclusion of parks and multi-purpose paths for pedestrian, equestrian and bicycle use will provide interconnectivity throughout the urbanizing areas, further promoting the sense of openness that is valued by our residents. Marana Regional Airport Congresswoman Giffords also has made a priority of further improving the Marana Regional Airport. She is requesting $4.5 million in federal dollars to fund the design and construction of an air traffic control tower that is urgently needed to improve safety in our skies. The airport is home to 320 aircraft and has more than 110,000 operations per year. The FAA has told us that we are eligible to participate and receive full funding for staffing of the tower once construction is complete. This project will benefit the region and the National Air Transportation System with enhanced aviation safety. The Town believes in the limitless value of economic development at the airport. We have purchased 90 acres of state land near the airport that can be used for commercial interests. We are working with several partners to develop a small arms manufacturing facility that would create high-paying jobs. All of this activity has come about under the excellent leadership of our airport director, Charlie Mangum. Shopping Plans are moving forward for two regional malls in Marana. Both will include more than one million square feet of retail space. Westcor, one of our signature sponsors today, continues working with Town staff on planning for the Shops at Tangerine, which will be located at the Interstate 10/Tangerine Road interchange. This mall will bring shopping, dining and entertainment options to Marana and the surrounding community. North Marana soon will have department stores, theaters and restaurants, large-format retailers and specialty shops and boutiques. The Shops at Tangerine will blend regional and power center shopping development with an auto mall and possibly a hotel. The second mall, Marana Spectrum, will be located between Interstate 10 and Linda Vista Boulevard. Marana Spectrum will be a classic power center, with anchor stores ringing the outside of the development and small specialty shops on the inside. A critical component of this project is the Twin Peaks Interchange, which will connect I-10 to Spectrum. Having these two large shopping destinations in Town will give Marana residents more options and make our community whole. Our residents deserve to have more goods and services within a more viable driving distance and the Town is doing everything it can to make that a reality. Town Planning Director Kevin Kish and his staff deserve praise for their efforts. Community on the move We believe in the importance of outstanding recreational opportunities. Under the leadership of Tom Ellis, our Parks and Recreation Department is second to none, offering everything from after-school programs to senior events. In fact, our middle school program participation is up 150 percent over last year. The Towri s senior program set its all-time attendance record in January with 1,990 participants, up from 1,305 in January 2007. The PGA TOUR Accenture Match Play was played in Marana for the second time this past February. The event will be moved next year to one of the courses at the Ritz-Carlton. While the contract to host the event ends after the 2010 tournament, I'm happy to report that discussions have been held with the goal of keeping the match .play here for at least another four years after the current contract expires. We want to get used to an annual visit from Tiger Woods. We also are working with all regional partners to assure that spring training baseball has a home in Southeastern Arizona. Marana would be a natural place for one or two teams to play in a new facility. With the proper partnerships and adequate funding, we could one day have Cactus League representation in our community. Environmentally responsive community We believe in being kind to the environment. Our respect for Mother Nature figures into many of the decisions we make, including a new all-inclusive strategy that links our General Plan and numerous other fields, including architecture, urbanism, archaeology, local heritage management, utilities and infrastructure. Marana must be a livable town with high-quality infrastructure, green spaces, inner-city residential areas and public projects that contribute to economic success, attracting investors, highly qualified professionals and tourists. Jennifer Christelman, our environmental manager, makes sure of that. All-America City finalist We believe in doing the right things for the right reasons. Our commitment to residents and businesses is why the National Civic League last month named our Town among 17 finalists for the annual All-America City Award. This type of recognition proves that the Town is well-run by Town Council, Town Manager Mike Reuwsaat, Deputy Town Manager Gilbert Davidson, Assistant Town Manager Deb Thalasitis and management staff. The All-America City Award recognizes communities for collaboration, inclusiveness and successful innovation. All-America Cities demonstrate community-wide civic accomplishments, cross-sector cooperation, grassroots participation and creative approaches to issues such as the need for low-income housing, support for at-risk youth and downtown revitalization. Our Town fits the criteria that winners must meet. We work in successful collaboration with many regional entities. Thanks to Community Development Director T. VanHook, our low-income housing program is improving the lives of many residents. Our Parks and Recreation Department runs fantastic youth programs. As we discussed earlier, our single central business district plans are moving forward. I'll be leading a small delegation from the Town and community to Tampa, Florida June 4-6 for the competition and announcement of award winners. I am confident we will come back with great news and further acknowledgment that Marana is an outstanding community, truly an All- America City. Conclusion It's easy to see why I'm so enthusiastic about where Marana is and where we're going. We believe in the power of community and the importance of each and every person who lives or does business here. The Town is committed to all of you. All we ask is that you continue to believe in us ... Council, Town management and staff. We are here to serve you and we all have the same goal: to make Marana the best possible place to live. We are a lot like that shining city on the hill with much to celebrate and even more to anticipate. Thank you for giving me the opportunity to speak to you today and I hope each of you continues to make Marana a community that all of us will be proud to call home. Thank you for attending our State of the Town luncheon and God bless you all. ~P ~~,.~~