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State of the City of Rock Springs address and
project update:
Citizens and Councilors, Happy New Year!
I would like to take a moment to reflect on the
past year and also to inform our citizens of the direction we intend to
head as we enter 2009.
We have seen numerous projects unfold over the
past several years including the addition of several new residential,
commercial and industrial subdivisions.
Numerous hotels/motels have been constructed or are under
construction as we speak. We
now have Elk Street, Dewar Drive and the Pilot Butte construction
projects behind us and with the help of WYDOT created a much more
attractive and driver friendly entry and exit into our fine city.
We have completed 9 new holes at the
White Mountain Golf Course scheduled to be opened to the
public this spring. Arthur
Park which will offer 9 holes of disc golf as well as a great
recreational facility is nearing completion as well as a new dog park
which should all be ready for use to the public this spring.
A proposed new aquatics center will soon be bid for construction
this spring.
The Young at
Heart Senior Citizen Recreational Facility is nearing completion and
will be ready for our seniors by April.
This facility will not only be a great improvement for our
seniors needs, but will eventually provide needed daycare in our
community. This new service,
in conjunction with the new construction of the YWCA daycare facility,
will help satisfy a critical need for daycare in
Rock Springs.
We have completed the $12 million state of the art
expansion of our waste water treatment plant which is operational and
has been designed to accommodate even more growth with little need for
construction. I thank our
employees at the wastewater treatment plant under the direction of Mike
Gaviotis and Director of Public Works Vess Walker for their efforts in
seeing this project through to completion.
We have completed the new Foothill sewer line and
pump station which will alleviate the capacity issue we had faced on the Elk Street /Springs
Drive sewer line. We have
also completed many water line replacement projects and are nearing
completion of the Tree Street
water/sewer replacement project.
The Grant Street
Connector to College Drive
will go to bid within the next month.
Most of these projects have been made possible by the help of
you, our taxpayers and voters who supported the Capital Facilities Tax
(or 6th cent) for infrastructure improvements.
Industrial Drive which will connect to Foothill Drive and
include a new bridge over Killpecker Creek will also go to bid this
spring for construction.
This project will not only alleviate a very serious safety issue, but
also address the sewer issues in this area and open up additional land
for development.
We have set aside funding to address the necessary
street improvements needed in the Blairtown area and will begin this
construction early this spring.
We have completed a large portion of the studies
and design required for the reconstruction of the Bitter Creek and have
held public meetings to gather input.
We will continue to lobby our state legislators for ongoing funds
for construction of this project which will ultimately satisfy the FEMA
flood issues and the requirements our citizens are subjected to when
living or developing within the flood plain/flood way.
We have, with the help of Councilman Kourbelas and
Director of Engineering and Operations, Mr. Paul Kauchich, made our
community much friendlier to those with disabilities.
Several of our local businesses have also bought into this
program and have made modifications which will allow those with
disabilities to navigate much easier and more safely.
We have spent over $200,000 for construction and modifications to
curbs, sidewalks and street crossings which will continue.
I thank those who have attended the many meetings held and
offered input to the committee.
I also thank Mr. Kauchich for taking this input and putting it on
the ground in the form of completed construction projects.
We have completed 7 annual city-wide clean up
events with well over 1000 people volunteering their time to make our
city more presentable to our visitors and our residents.
We will continue with this tradition, along with the annual
flower pot planting into the many years to come.
We thank all the volunteers and businesses for their help in
making these projects such a success.
Engineering and Operations has also been tasked
with a heavy load. The
Streets Department and Water Department continue to keep up with the
increasing demands brought forth and I appreciate their efforts in doing
so.
We have seen the URA become very aggressive and
successful. Although we
still have hurdles to clear, we have made great headway and will
continue to work on our downtown development strategies.
The acquisition of the Rock Theatre has the community excited for
completion and the many successful projects such as the URA Ball, the
Halloween Stroll, the Pumpkin Patch, Farmers Market and Christmas Parade
have produced thousands of our residents into the downtown area to enjoy
the activities and to shop our local merchants.
We thank all the many volunteers, the Rock
Springs Chamber of Commerce, Joint Travel and Tourism, our
Senior Citizens and local merchants and the
Rock Springs Historical Museum
for their continued support which make these projects such a success.
We have restored a 1947 Maxim Fire Truck which
will be a valuable asset to future generations of our city and comes
with a long history of service to this community.
I thank the City Council for supporting this historic
preservation project and for the employees of the golf course shop and
city shop for their efforts in completing this project in-house.
We have many talented employees at our disposal which benefit the
entire community.
We have seen many positive projects become reality
in this past year as in the 4 years prior.
The work which our city employees have provided under the
direction of our department heads from the direction this governing body
has given has been outstanding.
I feel that we have raised the bar regarding public services and
will continue to improve where necessary in order to provide the quality
services this community deserves and to maintain the quality of life we
can be proud to enjoy.
As we head into 2009 we will continue to seek
funding from our state and federal governments for the construction of
infrastructure within our city.
If we are persistent in providing the necessary infrastructure
for our community, quality growth will follow.
Diversification will eventually grow into the available areas
with infrastructure.
We have already begun the process which will
provide a new East Belt
Route
around our city to accommodate growth and traffic related issues to the
east and north of our city.
We will be considering a waterline to the airport which will include a
proposed business park along
Ivan Ray Road.
This line would also be significant to those residents of the
Arrow Head Springs Subdivision who are facing serious water/sewer
issues.
We will
continue to work towards the completion of the Bitter Creek Project and
the flood issues we face here in Rock Springs.
We will continue to lobby for AML funds in hopes
of mitigating the many abandoned mine issues we face and to help provide
the necessary housing for our community.
We have come a long way and yet we have a long way
to go if our goal is to improve our city for future generations.
We have many available jobs here in our county and we are now
seeing many who had moved away returning home to Rock Springs because of
the economic opportunities available.
As we move forward into our budget meetings we
will take a conservative approach. We have purchased tools and equipment
and have made great improvements in our operations which will allow the
city to be more efficient in our day to day operations without a need to
increase employees.
We have set aside that which is required by state
statue regarding operational reserves and will consider increasing this
reserve this budget session.
Lisa Tarufelli, Director of Finance and Administration and her staff
have done an outstanding job in keeping our investments safe and
continue to monitor any national changes which could affect our
financial situation.
Although the state of Wyoming is wealthy and jobs are abundant, the
nation as a whole is not and we will be cautious in how we do business
and monitor and adjust our operations as necessary.
I would like to sincerely thank our citizens of Rock Springs for your
continued support for this governing body and the employees of our city.
I would also like to thank our department heads and their staff
for the dedication and perseverance to get projects accomplished.
Public Works and Planning has never in the history of our city
been more busy than they have been in the past couple of years and I
appreciate the willingness to consider the many projects, opinions and
input from our community and that of our planning and zoning committee
and city council.
I would like to thank all the elected officials,
past and present, who serve or have served on this city council while I
have been privileged to be your mayor.
I cannot express my heartfelt appreciation for the many meetings
you have attended, the functions you have volunteered for and the many
committees and board meetings you have attended by my appointment.
Just glancing through my calendar this past year, I can account
for over 1640 meetings with this council, boards or committees of our
city, legislative meetings or meetings with concerned citizens.
I know you all have a similar schedule and I thank you for your
attendance and I thank your families for allowing you the time to be
away while conducting the business of our city.
I thank Councilman Horn for his 20 years of
service to this community and wish him well in his retirement.
I thank his wife Marilyn and their children for allowing him to
serve in our behalf. They
truly are a respected couple in this community and have given a large
portion of their lives as representatives of Rock Springs.
A true leader, as Councilman Horn has been, teaches others to
continue on the chosen path in their absence.
Councilman Horn can be assured that we will remember his wisdom
and continue down the path which has been paved with his help and
dedication to all of us here in Rock Springs and if we find something
that looks nasty and smells nasty on that path, even if it has lipstick,
we will remember that it is still a pig and traverse around it and back
onto the right path.
I congratulate all of our returning councilors
including Councilman Zotti who took a short leave of absence.
I look forward to working with you all as we begin the work of
our city in this new year.
Our goal has been and will continue to be that of building and
maintaining a sense of community within our community and providing the
necessary services which our citizens can depend on and we can be proud
of while being accountable and fiscal for our taxpayer’s dollars.
This could not be possible without the continued friendship and
working relationship we have had and continue to uphold here on this
bench. It is a pleasure to
work with such dedicated and open minded people such as this council.
The teamwork which has been developed over the last several years
has magnified itself into the community and continues to produce great
results. Keep up the great
work!
This
season is above all a time to pay tribute to those who serve and
sacrifice for our country, often in places far away. And we pledge that
the men and women on the frontlines of our security, at home and
overseas, will have all the resources they need for our defense and
their own safety.
Last but not least, I would like to thank the
family members of our elected officials including my family for their
support. Thank you for
understanding how important these jobs are to us who serve.
Thank you for understanding how serious we take these positions
and the desire we have to see
Rock Springs
become a vibrant and successful community.
The attitude of status quo does not exist among us, only a desire
to seek prosperity for our city and to lead our community to a higher
level than the year past.
This desire can be measured by the results we have seen come forth
throughout the past several years through construction projects,
programs, ordinances and public services.
I thank you for having to attend the many family functions and
school activities without our presence while we have been at meetings.
I can only assure you that we will do our best to create a better
community for us all. We are
truly blessed to have what we have and for having you all at our side in
support.
The greatest danger for most of us here is not
that our aim is too high and we miss it, but that it is too low and we
reach it. We seek great
things for this community and we aim high with hopes of achieving our
goals.
As for our
employees…………….it was Teddy Roosevelt who once said “If you want to
build a ship you don’t herd people together to collect wood and you
don’t assign them tasks and work, but rather you teach them to long for
the endless immensity of the sea.”
I have always asked our department heads to lead by example and
to instill vision in our employees.
We are making great improvements in doing so.
Nothing stops an organization faster than people
who believe that the way you worked yesterday is the best way to work
tomorrow. This council is
always looking for a better way to work tomorrow.
With that
being said, let’s begin the work of our city on this January 6th,
2009.
Mayor Timothy A. Kaumo
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M i s s i o n
S t a t e m e n t |
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To provide all individuals through
the combined efforts of city government and the people it serves, an
effective, efficient, and productive form of government, while promoting
an enhanced quality of life, open communications, and economic growth. |
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