2005 State of the City Address
Public Safety, Economic Development, Quality Of Life
Little Rock is on the verge of becoming America’s next great mid-size City and we’ve received acknowledgement from some very impressive
sources: Forbes magazine rated Little Rock 21st out of 50 cities in its 2004 list of best places for businesses and careers and Expansion
Management placed the Little Rock-North
Little Rock Metropolitan area on its list of America’s 50 Hottest Cities. In
contrast with many cities, the unemployment rate in the Little Rock area decreased from 4.9 in
January 2004 to 4.4 in December. Last Sunday’s Dem/Gaz headline was… Little
Rock Hot or What ? The December 19, Sunday Front Page of the Travel Section of
the Chicago Tribune sums it up… Little Rock Rolls, and I must agree. Ladies and
gentlemen,The state of your city is great and only getting
better!
Let’s talk about some of those good things that happened in ’04:
As part of the 2004 Bond Project, our Fire Department, in conjunction with the
Public Works and Police Department installed the new Early Warning Siren
System. This replaces an outdated system with a state of the art, full coverage
system that will warn citizens of tornadoes or other emergencies…even in a
power outage. Our Fire Dept also maintained the City’s Class II insurance
rating and on a human note, along with DHS, LRFD distributed over 4000 toys to
kids in foster care.
Our Public Works Department handled over 2700 citizen service requests and
swept 29,000 total miles through the Street Sweeping Program… that’s more than
one trip around the earth. No wonder we had a hard time finding some of those
drivers. At the same time, we saw curbside recycling increase…please use your
recycling bins.
And we are very pleased that the Government Finance Association recognized our
Finance Dept and upgraded our bond rating to a stable outlook. This is a
testament to the City’s improving overall financial health.
The Planning Department collected approximately $2.4 million in permit fees,
which is the largest collection ever.
Additionally, practically every department has a stake in the $70 Million
dollar 2004 Bond program. Your BOD promised to keep you updated and appointed a
Bond Progress Committee, which meets monthly to review, comment, and advise. I
would like those in attendance to please stand and be recognized. This Bond
Program is so important I felt the following items should be highlighted. We’ve
seen much needed improvements in Fire Stations, installation of power generators
in Police and Fire facilities, neighborhood surveillance cameras, the Emergency
warning system, nearly 20 miles of streets resurfaced, street and drainage
projects, the Giraffe exhibit at our zoo, rigging and restrooms at the
Statehouse Convention Center, on and on and on …the city is shaping up thanks
to you the voters. Along the walls are charts showing projects completed or
planned for 2005.
The City’s Animal Shelter saw a 70% increase in adoptions over the past year.
My thanks to staff and members of the Animal Services Advisory Board for a job
well done. We look forward to the new shelter.
The Urban Forestry Program of our Parks Department planted well over 500 trees
in City Parks and along streets near community centers and public schools. The
Parks Department also hosted an impressive 2004 LR Marathon.
Participation increased 52% and the marathon brought $2 million in revenue to
the "Little Rock" economy. Recently, our Marathon was recognized
by Runners World as one of the 12 marathons to do in 2005. We look forward to
another great marathon on March 6, 2005, and by the way, it’s not too late to
sign up!
Our Zoo Department welcomed 2 baby sloth bears, which I had the pleasure of
seeing on Friday and has already begun preparation for the American Zoological
Association (AZA) Accreditation review, and has created the Arkansas Zoological
Foundation to assist with fundraising and marketing. The Zoo is making changes
and looking good!
The Department of Community Programs administered approximately 45 neighborhood-based
programs including 14 programs funded through faith-based organizations. The
Department, in coordination with the Children, Youth & Families Commission,
continues to manage over $3 million annually in prevention, intervention and
treatment contracts with local non-profits. This coordination has made a
tremendous impact on the City’s crime prevention efforts. Juvenile arrests in
our City are at an all-time low and our PIT efforts continue to play a major
part in that reduction.
The Housing Department inspected over 4,000 rental units and over 16,000
premises during 2004. In addition, the department created a new electronic code
tracking system and an on-line code complaint form for citizens to access
through the City’s website.
This review by no means captures all of the City’s departmental 2004
highlights. It’s just a small example of the outstanding work our municipal
employees do on a daily basis. Please join me in recognizing all the many
achievements of our City Staff.
Now let’s look at the volunteer effort. As promised last year, we hosted the
first Mayor’s Volunteer Recognition Luncheon with over 300 in attendance. We
could not be the great City that we are without our more than 30 boards and
commission and the hundreds of volunteers. Thank you.
And something near and dear to my heart…the Mayor’s
Youth Council with over 100 high school students from public and private schools
in Little Rock. These students have given over 2600 hours of community service
to agencies such as AR Cares, The Hope Center, Kids Source, NCCJ, "Little Rock"
Parks and Recreation and the Arkansas Arts Center. I am extremely
proud of these young people and wish to recognize Kim White, Coordinator and
the members of the youth council Executive Committee.
During the week of the Presidential Library opening, President Clinton led the
swearing in of 40 members of the Little Rock City Year Team. These students
commit a year of their lives to public service and are presently working as
tutors and mentors in Little Rock and North Little Rock public
schools. Please join me in welcoming the members of Little Rock City Year to
our community and thanking them and the Mayor’s Youth Council for helping pass
out programs and escorting you to your seats.
Speaking of the Presidential Library. Clearly, the Clinton Presidential Center
has been possibly the biggest economic generator Little Rock has ever seen the results speak
for themselves. Since President Clinton made Little Rock his library choice in 1997,
nearly $1 billion in economic development has taken place in the downtown area.
Not a bad return on the city’s $11 million dollar investment.
In addition, the Grand Opening Week itself brought millions of dollars to the
local economy. People came from all over the country and the world and the city
never looked better. Since the opening less than three months ago, over 145,000
have visited the Clinton Museum--making the 300,000 first year visitor
projection sure seem low…and folks, the tourism season hasn't even begun yet.
I loved those Little Rock travel features in the New York Times, the Chicago
Tribune, the Philadelphia Inquirer, the Houston Chronicle, USA Today, Travel
and Leisure Magazine, the Los Angeles Times, the Miami Herald and many, many
others. The free print and broadcast publicity we as a city have received as a
result of the Clinton Library is in the multi millions.
Again, I want to thank President Clinton for choosing Little Rock giving us
this extraordinary opportunity and providing us with a signature landmark that
is architecturally significant and environmentally sensitive. The more green
buildings we have in our city, the better.
I’d like to also thank Skip Rutherford again, our city manager but particularly
I want to thank the Little Rock Board of Directors, which thru thick and thru
thin, under attack or praise, held together, stood resolutely unified and GOT
THE JOB DONE. History is already registering this as a defining leadership
moment in Little Rock. Join me in thanking these leaders.
In addition to the Clinton Center, the landscape and skyline East
of I-30 is being reshaped. Immediately south of the Clinton Library,
construction has begun on the $30 million Heifer International Center. Heifer’s new
building will consolidate its staff to fight hunger worldwide and create a
focal point for hunger education in America. Equally proud are we of Heifer, its mission, its board and of our own Jo Luck.
Meanwhile, expansion in the River Market continues. The First Security Center—a new 14-story,$25 million building including a Courtyard
Marriott Hotel, edges out Acxiom as the tallest building in the River Market area. Plus, right next door, the city’s new much needed
seven level, 667-space parking deck.
There are also notable developments in other areas of the City:
- Winrock Enterprises located its new $3.6 million
Little Rock headquarters onRiverfront Drive
- Arkansas Children’s Hospital (The Nation’s sixth
largest pediatric medical Center) began construction on its $12 million office
addition and is also constructing a $17 million Nutrition and Research
Institute.
- Arkansas Blue Cross Blue Shield recently added to its
downtown headquarters location with a 5 story, 515 space parking structure at
7th and Gaines in downtown Little Rock.
- Hilton Hotel has given boost to Midtown redevelopment
with its $23 million renovation. The 263 upscale contemporary rooms have
helped to make the LR Hilton Metro Center #1 in the customer service rankings
of the Hilton Hotels nationwide. Thanks to Bruce Burrow and Marty Belz who
also developed the Peabody Hotel.
- Pulaski TechnicalCollege opened its off-campus
instructional site at 8901 Kanis Road in the fall and just announced its
purchase of the Expo Center.
- Little Rock National Airport Passenger numbers rebounded during the year and construction enhancements continued. There were major
upgrades to the baggage claim, landscaping, and water and sculpture features. New flights were added to Chicago O’Hare, Dallas
(DFW), Denver, Detroit, Minneapolis/St. Paul, New York/Newark and Orlando. Nonstop service to Denver is offered by
a new entrant airline, Frontier.
In September 2004, Life Interrupted: The Japanese American Experience in World War II Arkansas brought 1,300 individuals to Little Rock with attendees from 36 states and 2 other countries for the conference Camp Connections. In addition to visits to World War II internment campsites, attendees viewed various exhibits from the Japanese-American National Museum and UALR Public History Program. On Monday, May 9, 2005, the documentary entitled “Time of Fear” will air nationally on the Public Broadcasting System. My thanks to the UALR Public History program, the Japanese American National Museum, and the Winthrop Rockefeller Foundation for their outstanding work on this project.
Although many said it couldn’t be done, on November 1st, the River Rail Streetcar line began operating on 2.5 miles of track with 11 stops connecting the downtowns of Little Rock and North Little Rock. To date, over 50,000 people have ridden the streetcar. Truly…LITTLE ROCK ROLLS.
To this point, I have attempted to highlight some of the positive things that have happened in Little Rock as they relate to Quality of Life and Economic Development. However, I stood before you during my 2004 address, and declared that dealing with crime would be my number one focus. Clearly, public safety remains the top priority of the City Board and I think it is very important to recap our progress. Let me first say to Chief Lawrence Johnson, who officially retires at the end of March, thank you for a job well done. To the men and women of the Little Rock Police Department, thank you for the dedication and professionalism that you display daily as you protect the lives of Little Rock citizens.
I am pleased to report that overall Part I criminal offenses declined 8.78%. Juvenile arrests in our City are at an all-time low. While we are thankful for decreases in homicides, rapes and business robberies, we saw an increase in individual robberies. I pledge to work with the City Manager and the new police chief to target these increases. We know that frequent closure of the regional jail has a direct correlation on our crime fighting and prevention efforts. As a regional community, we must address the jail issue very soon. We can no longer wait.
Last year, I announced the formation of the Safe Neighborhood Initiative that consisted of three elements: (1) Criminal Abatement Program; (2) Spending More Time in Neighborhoods; (3) 12th Street Corridor Faith-Based Coalition. I am very pleased to say this evening that we have seen tremendous progress with all three elements.
The Cornerstone of the Safe Neighborhood Initiative - the Criminal Abatement Program (CAP) is the most important success we have seen as a community in 2004. During 2004 we initiated the CAP program that focused on the abatement of properties within the City that had become nuisances. All types of properties were subject to targeted inspections. As a result, major clean up efforts in three different neighborhood areas succeeded while mobile home parks that had been problems for years were substantially changed. Two nightclubs were forced to change the nature of their businesses, and apartment houses that permitted methamphetamine laboratories were shut down. Right now the City is pursuing enforcement actions on former motels that had become apartment houses and are without adequate wiring or plumbing services. These facilities are either in court or under court order to completely clean up operations or be closed down.
In one instance on Roosevelt Road, the City successfully required an apartment owner to hire security services and place lights and cameras on a parking lot that had been the site of prostitution and drug activity. In the 60-days that these items have been in place the crime rate in the area virtually disappeared.
Thanks to work by the various departments, especially the City Attorney’s office and the CAP team for working together. Having monthly meetings has helped this program to work well and has spurred even more aggressive efforts for 2005. The City Attorney is drafting an ordinance to declare a structure that houses a methamphetamine laboratory a nuisance that must be shut down immediately and cannot be used again until a strict and stringent clean up has made them safe for human habitation.
The message is clear: In Little Rock, the CAP Program means that nuisances have not, are not, and will not be tolerated. The answer to the request for “just a little time” means shut down the place and get the corrections made, or shut down the place permanently. These have been and will continue to be our marching orders.
As stated earlier, the second component of the Safe Neighborhood Initiative called for me to spend more time in neighborhoods. As a part of the CAP program, I have visited targeted areas on a monthly basis with City staff to assess our progress and visit with neighborhood leaders to identify further challenges. Without a doubt, I plan on continuing this approach in 2005. The third element – the 12th Street Initiative was kicked off in December. The initiative renamed the Chain of H.O.P.E. calls for the City to work with churches along 12th street to develop strategies that foster and enhance redevelopments of the corridor. We will continue our efforts in this strategy to rebuild neighborhoods.
In 2005, the City will continue the CAP program and the 12th Street plan. The City will also add 60 new police offices to ensure an adequate team for our new chief. I will support the expansion of the county jail but I want the City Board to engage in determining how this will be funded.
Quality of Life
Now to improve quality of life of Little Rock citizens, my intention is to continue to support the Audubon Arkansas as it works to develop the Fourche Creek Plan. I am asking David Duke of the Parks Commission to form a special task force to develop a plan for preservation and acquisition of open space.
I will continue my personal commitment to completion of the River Trail. Let me take this moment to say thanks to Heart Clinic of Arkansas for their leadership in the creation of the Medical Mile. This will be a signature component of our trail system.
In another quality of life arena, I am renewing my commitment to reduce smoking in our community. Specifically, I am charging the KICK Coalition to strategically plan public forums and gather data on anti-smoking perspectives from anti-tobacco coalitions and other citizen groups representing all perspectives. These action steps will result in the production of recommendations and a draft ordinance to protect the health of Little Rock citizens through specific city legislation and regulation. Personally, I favor the ban of smoking in the workplace and in restaurants. I am looking to the coalition to consider all factors, work with NLR and deliver the recommendation to us by October 2005. I have asked Director Genevieve Stewart to be board liaison.
To another very important community issue…the homeless. During 2004, our community had a spirited debate regarding homelessness. First of all - let me be clear - every person who needs and requests assistance should receive it. As a community, this is our charge. I want to applaud the service providers for the work they do each day to address these needs. But as a regional community, we must do more. Pulaski County and the central Arkansas cities should join together to develop a solution for this regional problem…and again I state, the county and cities should all be at the table when discussing this issue.
City staff, providers, community representatives, and local HUD officials have been working to craft a 10-year plan to address chronic homelessness. The plan should be completed by the end of March and I look forward to continued dialogue and action on this very basic quality of life issue. However, because I have pledged to reduce crime, I must say that the homeless will not be exempt from the enforcement of city and state laws…the safety of our citizens is still my primary goal.
Economic Development
Economic Development continues to be a priority for the City in 2005. Here are but a few of the exciting projects already in the works for this year:
- Construction should begin on Phase II of the River Rail and will connect to the Clinton Presidential Park and the headquarters of Heifer International.
- The Geyer & Adams Building, just across from the River Market, will become the future home of a new Center for Arkansas History. It will be the third major renovation on the Main Library Campus.
- The Arkansas Employment Security Department building is undergoing at $7.7 million restoration.
- 300 Third Tower - Plans have been announced for a $45 million residential condominium building to be constructed at the corner of 3rd and Cumberland Streets.
- Construction is nearing completion on The Rainwater Flats, a new three-story brick complex on E. Capital.
- The Historic Federal District Courthouse is being expanded and remodeled to provide for nineteen judges and their staffs. The $83 million project includes an addition to the building and remodeling of the old building and is named after our friend, the late Judge Richard Arnold.
- The Promenade at Chenal
- The $60 million dollar Village at Brodie Creek
- And just announced, 600 new jobs at Falcon Dassault and $40 million in expansions between Dassault and TAC.
Little Rock Continues to Roll.
Yes, we are on a roll and…
In the past 10-12 years we have seen unprecedented development, growth and momentum in the Little Rock area…This is a Different City Today Than a Decade Ago….we are stepping up to another level…one can feel it…sense it…know it is happening….others notice too we’ve seen that in the headlines. …maybe its in the water…which we are fighting hard to protect….and we will Continue to do so!!!
During 2005 and 2006 I plan to place much of my energy in two areas of Little Rock….Downtown and Midtown.
As for, downtown my primary focus will be the Main Street and Capital Avenue corridors. We are blessed to have a strong Downtown Partnership, led by Sharon Priest and significant corporate partners like Warren Stephens and Stephens Inc. City government needs to be prepared to step up and be a significant partner with individuals like this in the redevelopment of these two streets. I am asking Directors Dean Kumpuris and Johnnie Pugh to work with the Downtown partnership and private companies to do just that. This will and should take some financial investment from city government. Just as with the developments of the River Market and the Presidential Center, involvement of the city is critical.
As for Midtown, I previously asked Director Stacy Hurst to work on establishing a Midtown Task force….which she has already done, and to work with the Midtown Redevelopment District chaired by Bill Rector and also with UALR. In 2005 the City will move forward with even bigger plans for Little Rock’s Midtown. The City Board of Directors has formed 2 commissions to research and recommend viable development options for Midtown Little Rock. First, the City Board of Directors have created the Midtown Redevelopment Advisory Board and charged its members with the task of studying Midtown Little Rock and recommending to the Board of Directors ways to continue the success we saw in 2004 with the new development of a key part of our City.
For example, the midtown taskforce will study and recommend innovative ways to redevelop Ray Winder Field and War Memorial Park into a viable asset for not only Midtown Little Rock, but the entire city and region. This Midtown Taskforce will work to create a catalyst that will stimulate appropriate and timely development of the area and will take a proactive role in making positive things happen in Midtown Little Rock.
Now, the big question…how do we fund these promising developments?
I have also asked Director Michael Keck and Director Willie Hinton to form a task force called The New Revenues Task Force. This committee shall be composed of diverse sectors of our community and charged to report to the BOD and the General Public plausible options for additional revenue sources by June 1. Time is of the essence because various tax proposals are currently being discussed for specific needs at the county level and state levels. There is discussion about funding the much-needed County Jail expansion. The Chamber is considering a county approach to funding Economic Development. Metroplan and Highway officials are considering legislation to provide gasoline-taxing authority for roads and transit. My charge to these two seasoned Directors is to get the Capital city out front, make our citizens aware of the trade offs and broader needs and opportunities, consider the options and then come back to the board by June.
I want them to get citizen comment and opinion on such options as:
- Elimination of the garbage fee in exchange for a sales tax increase. Currently we are ½ penny below most all cities in the county including NLR. I personally favor this one.
- The possible use of the third penny A&P tax and how it could be used. North Little Rock already has three pennies on food and hotels and largely uses it to fund the Parks Department.
- Short Term financing options
- Special Targeted incentives
I know it’s uncomfortable to discuss tax increases but I also know we are better off to embrace public dialogue and use it to design our own proposal instead of waiting to see what others propose. Personally, I believe the City of Little Rock has shown our capacity to manage finances in the past few years and to be accountable with the use of your tax dollars. All I ask is that the citizens consider the options. The Central Arkansas area is looking to us for leadership and as Conway Mayor Townsell said in his state of the city, “In essence we are Little Rock…Conway is part of Little Rock’s City limitless.”
- There are still plenty of challenges and much to be done…
- I want to see us do it…
- I want to see us complete the Vision LR recommendations…
- I want to see that fire station out west…
- I want to see us finish our Parks master plan …
- I want to see the zoo master plan completed…
- I want to see the River Rail to the Airport and WLR and Jacksonville…
- I want to see more inner city housing…
- I want to see Main Street and Mid Town redeveloped…
- I want the expanded jail and I even want to see our helicopter flying again…
We Can Do It If Enough of Us Want To…
For the past 10 years we’ve earned the headlines…
Let’s keep the headline "LITTLE ROCK ROLLS" alive!!!
Thank you. God bless our city, our troops and the USA. Have a great 2005.