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HomeMy WebLinkAboutState of the Town 2014State of the Town of Marana Speech 2014 Delivered April 21, 2014 by Mayor Ed Honea Good afternoon everyone and welcome to the annual State of the Town. I am so pleased to be here today to talk about our Town. I want to share with you the foundation we are building and the promises of even greater things to come. The state of our Town is excellent. Our finances are in order. We have a very healthy reserve account in place. Our roads and infrastructure are in excellent condition. We have great parks and trails. Our police are some of the best in the state. The Town of Marana, our Town, is going in the right direction. The video you just watched captures the essence of Marana — our people. Whether it's a Town employee, a long -time Marana resident, or a business leader, people care about Marana. Through their stories, we experience the Marana we know and love. Great people make great communities. Marana is filled with great people who work hard to make this a special place. i r C') PSI rv1 E Fir e k '1.10 � f `4 LJ N Y I H ER ITAGE RECIR EAT 1 0 N Marana's Strategic Plan has five focus areas. Each one guides our Council and staff in decision - making and resource allocation. It helps create a unified approach by our Council, the Town Manager and every member of our organization. Imagine running a business without a plan of action. What if you never set benchmarks to improve performance? Most likely, your business would fail. Having an updated strategic plan means we focus on foundational community needs. We invest where we can help strengthen our future. Not every issue nor every cause will be addressed. Trying to please everyone is a recipe for failure. So our mission is simple: We will have one of the safest, cleanest and healthiest communities and the strategic plan will be our guide. COMMERCE The foundation of any great community is commerce. Today, we are experiencing positive economic growth. We have new restaurants, stores and businesses opening up throughout Marana. I recently read a book entitled, "When the Boomers Bail" by Mark Lautman. In the book, he writes, "Without an economic base, your community has no economic reason to exist. ... Pretty profound. ... Virtually every dime of local tax revenue is generated by the private sector. ... Communities that lack a complete spectrum of retail and commercial services send local residents out of town to spend the community's economic base money." Without successful businesses, we would not have quality roads, great parks or talented staff. Commerce is the foundation of our strategic plan and I would like to highlight a couple of new developments. 1 Mayor Ed Honea's State of the Town Speech Delivered 04/21/2014 at the Ritz Carlton First, Marana was selected to be the North American headquarters for Duralar Technologies. This company has developed a high endurance metal coating that extends the life of metal parts. This industrial application could greatly support other manufacturing businesses, reducing metal fatigue and lowering the cost to replace worn -out parts. Duralar Technologies will be located in the business park near Arizona Pavilions. It joins several other businesses, including FLSmidt Krebs, Lasertel and Sargent Aerospace and Defense, in this growing high -tech district. Another exciting project, soon to be under way, will be the Marana Center at Twin Peaks Road and I -10. The first phase of this project will be a premium outlet mall featuring more than 90 name -brand stores. The property developer, Vintage Partners, and the developer of the mall, Simon Properties, are excited to be putting together one of the largest retail centers in Southern Arizona right here in Marana. Future phases include an auto mall, large -scale retail center, hotels and restaurants. Long -term planning for business development is also taking place. We have been actively working with Pinal County to complete a master plan of the Pinal Airpark. The airpark represents a tremendous opportunity to create a shipping and logistics hub, combining the proximity of Interstate 10 and Interstate 8 with the future Union Pacific rail yard. Marana's partnership with Pinal County and the private sector will create a successful economic center, with thousands of jobs and millions of dollars in new investment. These developments are exciting and will bring many positive impacts to our community. But they are just the beginning. If we are going to be one of the best places in the state to do business, we must continue writing and re- writing our Town code and operating policies to match the needs of the changing community. Too often, the challenges facing our communities are the result of outdated or reactionary codes and policies. Imagine a business that becomes so inflexible that it no longer cares about the customer. Ineffective policies and procedures stifle innovation, slow progress and drown the entrepreneurial spirit. That will not happen in Marana. We are going to invest in our future. New water and sewer lines are going to be installed in key locations so that we are prepared to accommodate economic growth. We are going to work with each developer, business owner and investor to meet their needs, while ensuring quality development that enhances our community. Marana's economic future is very bright. Many opportunities await in the years ahead. Great buildings, thriving cities, successful businesses, winning sports teams all have something in common. They build upon solid foundations. They exhibit discipline to known principles and apply those concepts over and over. We are poised for great things by laying a solid foundation of infrastructure, maintaining fiscal discipline and working to attract the best and brightest to lead the way. COMMUNITY Economic prosperity is a community's foundation, but great communities also need to be well - planned, maintained and protected. I recently went to Disneyland with my grandchildren. Like any family vacation, it was filled with great moments and a few meltdowns. Disneyland is a great model for the type of community we are trying to build here in Marana. 2 Mayor Ed Honea's State of the Town Speech Delivered 04/21/2014 at the Ritz Carlton Most everyone visits Disneyland to go on rides. If you think about it, what makes Disneyland so special and unique from other theme parks? The rides at Disneyland are good, but they are really no different than those at other parks. What makes Disneyland so unique is the atmosphere, the attention to detail, the overall feeling you have of being in a special place. We are trying to create that feeling of a special place here in Marana. A place that is innovative, pays attention to details and generates positive feelings by residents and visitors alike. We have made a commitment and an investment to have a clean community. This is no easy task and it takes a tremendous amount of work by many people. We clean almost 17 miles of Interstate 10 and all of our major roadways. We trim trees, mow grass and remove weeds and debris. We don't have to do this level of work, but we do. We do it because it makes a huge difference as people drive through our community. It makes Marana a more special place. Our police force is excellent and striving to be even better. Most of us don't even think about all the things that take place behind the scenes in a community as geographically large as Marana. Our crime rates are below federal and state averages. Our officers take pride in responding to every call for service made by residents or business owners. Again, attention to detail makes a huge difference when you're building a safe and secure community. Our Town has long been known for its ability to plan. Our team has worked with the private sector to develop residential concepts and enhanced community features. Our living spaces should interact with the beautiful Sonoran Desert, encouraging healthy living and fostering community interaction. We strive to create a dynamic community interconnected with trails, bike paths and outdoor spaces where individuals and families can enjoy the qualities of a special place. There is much work ahead as we continue building our community. Like Disneyland, it takes time to create a perfect sense of place. It is a journey that takes years of careful planning and implementation. Our Town Council and staff will partner with the private sector, including builders, developers and business owners, to strive for excellence with each project. We will support and share resources with the Marana Unified School District because great communities need great schools. We need outstanding schools with the best teachers who are supported and valued. Having schools that are known for excellence and produce well - prepared students helps economic development and builds a quality community. Again, attention to detail helps create the town we envision just as staff does at the Marana Unified School District, one of the top school districts in the region. A quality community is achieved through strategic investments. We are researching ways to pay for and build a police facility so our officers and staff have the right resources to serve our residents and businesses. We are developing and will soon launch our new Town website with improved tools for citizen interaction. We are also starting a tourism program. Staff will be hired to promote Marana and all the things our Town has to offer. Our goal is to continue making Marana one of the best places to live, work and visit. 3 Mayor Ed Honea's State of the Town Speech Delivered 04/21/2014 at the Ritz Carlton RECREATION One of the ways we can make Marana more unique and special is through recreation. This element of the strategic plan calls for Marana to build and maintain great parks, trails, open space, and other recreational amenities. We strongly believe that recreation is the capstone of the strategic plan. It adds to our quality of life. I have talked about Marana "as a special place." It is a special place partly because of our natural environment. I am a hiker. I love hiking the many trails in Marana. There is something special about being in the desert. There is a beauty to it all. Our strategic plan calls for us to develop our community around recreational opportunities. We have two regional parks, multiple neighborhood parks, miles of bike lanes and trails, and numerous programs that promote our park system. Recreational opportunities add community value, promote health and wellness, and give people special memories. Time spent with family and friends at a park, on a trail or at one of our events creates lasting memories. We will continue working to have the best designed, constructed and maintained park facilities that provide the most opportunities for recreational experiences. We will have more fields to play on, paths to run and bike on and even a splash pad for the youth in our community. A great example is the neighborhood park the Town will soon build on Tangerine Road near Sky Ranch. We need parks on the east side of Interstate 10 and this one will mark the start of meeting that commitment. Our residents and visitors deserve quality recreational amenities. We will reach those goals by encouraging community partnerships and keeping our neighborhoods involved. We host multiple fun -runs, movies in the park, dive -in movies at our pool, music in the park, farmer's markets and other activities designed to bring people together. We will continue being a great community by offering first -class recreational facilities and programs. INNOVATION One of the most dangerous threats to any community is complacency. We must ensure that we encourage new ideas, better programs, and efficient ways of doing things. We are striving to be a community of excellence. Excellence is achieved when every level of our organization is able to innovate for the good of the community. This past year, Marana developed a "values in action" program to help strengthen and encourage innovation at all levels. New ideas and rethinking how we serve our community are being proposed daily. One of the innovative ideas was the opening video you just watched. The Town's new brand, "Your Town" was developed internally through a team effort. It is designed to not only generate pride among our current residents and business owners, but also as a way to attract new people to our community. You will see it appear in Town publications, online, and in partnership with our builders, developers, and business owners. It is an exciting time to be in Marana. Great things are happening. This year, we will be officially launching our tourism and marketing program. We want people to choose Marana as a 4 Mayor Ed Honea's State of the Town Speech Delivered 04/21/2014 at the Ritz Carlton destination. We want visitors to use Marana as their base while they explore the attractions around the region. This resort, the Ritz - Carlton Dove Mountain, is one of the best in the entire country... We want to grow our tourism efforts and contribute to the overall success of the entire region. While our Values in Action program is just getting started, we are already looking to the future. An innovative staff better serves its residents and business owners. But there is no way we can do it alone. With the assistance of our many partners — the Marana School District, Marana Food Bank, Marana Health Center, the Marana Chamber of Commerce and four Fire Districts, to name a few — we are focused on making this an even more successful town. President John Kennedy said "a rising tide raises all boats." If we all band together, we can become a community of excellence. Marana will be the place where more people want to live and work. HERITAGE Our community is rich with history. The Marana Heritage Conservancy is doing an incredible job of keeping our past relevant in the 21 St century. Conservancy members organize and host our annual Founders' Day celebration. That is no small undertaking. They educate the community through tours that highlight our Town's history. They shine a positive light on Marana throughout Southern Arizona. Our Town Council and staff are so proud of the Marana Heritage Conservancy. Soon, we will be opening phase one of the Marana Heritage River Park. This is an exciting project that will be both a community amenity and an attraction for visitors. The park is a 165 acre facility that will feature four themed areas: Heritage Farm, Heritage Shops, Heritage Park and Heritage Ranch. Each area will be connected with walkways and a common theme. The first stage, opening this fall, will be a community garden where residents can grow vegetables and learn gardening techniques. In addition, a demonstration garden will feature the use of water in various farming and planting applications. The future is bright in Marana. We are going to attract commerce. We are going to build community. We are going to encourage innovation. We are going to celebrate heritage. We are going to support recreation. We are making "Your Town" a very special place to live. As I conclude my remarks, I want to share one more quote from Lautman, "If your community's leaders think they are powerless to control or influence the community's future, they are right. That belief will be self - fulfilling." We know we can achieve our goals. We adopt policies that support our core mission and foster the development of a great place to live and do business. We love this community and it shows through our passion and active engagement. Please join me in recognizing the hard - working members of our Town Council: Vice Mayor Jon Post, Council members David Bowen... Patti Comerford... Herb Kai... Carol McGorray... and Roxanne Ziegler. Our job is to set policy. It takes a team of talented professionals to lead and manage the complexities of a growing community. Our Town is blessed to have an excellent team of 5 Mayor Ed Honea's State of the Town Speech Delivered 04/21/2014 at the Ritz Carlton professionals at all levels. They are the ones who work behind the scenes to ensure that everything goes according to plan. Please take a moment to join me in thanking our Town staff. A healthy business community is complemented by a well- managed Chamber of Commerce. Marana is where it is today thanks to our Chamber and its 550 members. Our Town benefits from a thriving, diverse business sector and we are proud to work with all of you. Your support makes all the difference. I thank all of you for taking time to attend this State of the Town Address. I hope all of you are pleased with the way things are in Marana and equally optimistic about where our Town is going. We all need to work together for our community to remain successful and achieve our goals. Marana is your town. Marana is my town. Marana is our town. Thank you again for coming and may God bless the Town of Marana and you, each and every one. 6 Mayor Ed Honea's State of the Town Speech Delivered 04/21/2014 at the Ritz Carlton