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Mayor Sprouse Delivers His Annual
State of the City Address
State of the City Address
-In 2019, SFD opened Station 7 on Har-ber Ave., began construction
on Station 8 located on E. Huntsville Ave., and began the design of
Station 9, which will be located at the corner of Ball Rd. and Carrie
Smith, in the NW part of the city. We also added one new ladder truck,
one rescue truck, and began design of classroom space and an
apparatus bay at the Chief Mickey Jackson Fire Training Facility on
Ford Avenue.
*Our Parks Department began operating in our new 120,000 sq. ft. Rec. Center at the corner of Robinson Ave. and Cambridge. In the short time since moving in, 3 we've already made substantial improvements to a much needed asset for the residents of Springdale. Even with the improvements we've already made, there's more we want to do, as funds become available. So far, (including the $4.1 mil. purchase price), we have less than $6 mil. invested. Once the additional improvements are made over time, our residents and those from around the region will utilize programming opportunities made possible by this facility. I congratulate this council on your vision and foresight in acquiring the building. When all is said and done, we will have a facility that would have cost at least 3 times our total investment, had we chosen to purchase property and build a similar facility from the ground up.
*The 120 acre Shaw Family Park began construction last year, and we'll see its completion later this year. The $10.5 mil. project was made possible by the Parks Bond Issue, which won voter approval by a wide margin in 2018.
*Another Parks Bond project, the improvements to Randal Tyson Park, began design in 2019, and we should be bringing you a final plan soon. This approximately $5 mil. project will include important upgrades to one of our best known and busiest parks, including improved ADA accessibility to its fields and facilities.
*Last year, our Parks and Rec. Department also engaged a group from the U of A to produce a needs assessment to help guide our future direction and decisions. Significant efforts were made to gather input and ideas from every group and demographic in our city. One of the first recommendations of the assessment was to undergo a comprehensive strategic planning process. That process has begun, and we look forward to sharing the results when completed.
*Here are some figures highlighting 2019 recreational programming;
-We served over 4400 participants in our youth sports leagues
-We served 139 teams in our adult sport leagues
-We added an indoor soccer league with over 50 teams in its first season
-We created youth sports academies in 5 sports with over 750 participants 4
-We added free fitness classes for members
-We created free umpire/referee clinics, coaches clinics, and multi-sports clinics
-We added daily and monthly rec. center passes as options to the annual memberships. Numbers of all three options continue to grow at a healthy clip.
Ok, that's enough about 2019. Let me point out some exciting thing we will see become realities this year.
*Road Projects- No one that drives around Springdale will be surprised to hear there are a lot of road improvements going on. Many additional projects are currently under design, with others bidding soon, and many will be completed by the end of the year.
*Municipal Campus- As I mentioned earlier, Phase 1 of our municipal campus will be completed later this year. After Phase 1 is occupied, the rest of us in City Hall will move out to other available buildings in our downtown. Phase 2, which is the renovation to our existing City Hall, will then begin. During Phase 2, there will be a lot of moving parts that will impact everything from parking to building access. Since many of our departments, (including Administration), will be temporarily located in other downtown buildings, we need to do everything possible to inform our residents where various city departments will be located. During that time, we ask our residents, as well as city employees, to be flexible and to remember any inconvenience is only temporary, but necessary in order to get to a finished product that will serve everyone better. Phase 2 should take about a year to complete. That means we should all be moved into our new municipal campus in late 2021.
*Animal Shelter- Our new Animal Services Facility will be completed and occupied this summer. We're very excited to see the completion of a building that not only provides the space to accommodate the needs of our growing city, but also will be located to allow our Animal Services staff and Animal Control Officers to better respond to the needs of our residents. Because of this more visible and accessible location, we expect our residents to realize more opportunities to work with our staff and the army of volunteers who are passionate about the safety and welfare 5 of our four-legged friends as well as the safety and quality of life of our community.
When I begin to mention private development we expect to see taking place in Springdale this year, I always hesitate to just focus on a couple of areas of the city, because it really is happening all over. We're seeing plans, (many that have already been approved), for all types of residential development - from multifamily, to single family, to estate homes. We'll see it all under construction this year, in all corners of Springdale. But, because I get the most questions about a couple of specific areas, I'll touch on those.
*Our Parks Department began operating in our new 120,000 sq. ft. Rec. Center at the corner of Robinson Ave. and Cambridge. In the short time since moving in, 3 we've already made substantial improvements to a much needed asset for the residents of Springdale. Even with the improvements we've already made, there's more we want to do, as funds become available. So far, (including the $4.1 mil. purchase price), we have less than $6 mil. invested. Once the additional improvements are made over time, our residents and those from around the region will utilize programming opportunities made possible by this facility. I congratulate this council on your vision and foresight in acquiring the building. When all is said and done, we will have a facility that would have cost at least 3 times our total investment, had we chosen to purchase property and build a similar facility from the ground up.
*The 120 acre Shaw Family Park began construction last year, and we'll see its completion later this year. The $10.5 mil. project was made possible by the Parks Bond Issue, which won voter approval by a wide margin in 2018.
*Another Parks Bond project, the improvements to Randal Tyson Park, began design in 2019, and we should be bringing you a final plan soon. This approximately $5 mil. project will include important upgrades to one of our best known and busiest parks, including improved ADA accessibility to its fields and facilities.
*Last year, our Parks and Rec. Department also engaged a group from the U of A to produce a needs assessment to help guide our future direction and decisions. Significant efforts were made to gather input and ideas from every group and demographic in our city. One of the first recommendations of the assessment was to undergo a comprehensive strategic planning process. That process has begun, and we look forward to sharing the results when completed.
*Here are some figures highlighting 2019 recreational programming;
-We served over 4400 participants in our youth sports leagues
-We served 139 teams in our adult sport leagues
-We added an indoor soccer league with over 50 teams in its first season
-We created youth sports academies in 5 sports with over 750 participants 4
-We added free fitness classes for members
-We created free umpire/referee clinics, coaches clinics, and multi-sports clinics
-We added daily and monthly rec. center passes as options to the annual memberships. Numbers of all three options continue to grow at a healthy clip.
Ok, that's enough about 2019. Let me point out some exciting thing we will see become realities this year.
*Road Projects- No one that drives around Springdale will be surprised to hear there are a lot of road improvements going on. Many additional projects are currently under design, with others bidding soon, and many will be completed by the end of the year.
*Municipal Campus- As I mentioned earlier, Phase 1 of our municipal campus will be completed later this year. After Phase 1 is occupied, the rest of us in City Hall will move out to other available buildings in our downtown. Phase 2, which is the renovation to our existing City Hall, will then begin. During Phase 2, there will be a lot of moving parts that will impact everything from parking to building access. Since many of our departments, (including Administration), will be temporarily located in other downtown buildings, we need to do everything possible to inform our residents where various city departments will be located. During that time, we ask our residents, as well as city employees, to be flexible and to remember any inconvenience is only temporary, but necessary in order to get to a finished product that will serve everyone better. Phase 2 should take about a year to complete. That means we should all be moved into our new municipal campus in late 2021.
*Animal Shelter- Our new Animal Services Facility will be completed and occupied this summer. We're very excited to see the completion of a building that not only provides the space to accommodate the needs of our growing city, but also will be located to allow our Animal Services staff and Animal Control Officers to better respond to the needs of our residents. Because of this more visible and accessible location, we expect our residents to realize more opportunities to work with our staff and the army of volunteers who are passionate about the safety and welfare 5 of our four-legged friends as well as the safety and quality of life of our community.
When I begin to mention private development we expect to see taking place in Springdale this year, I always hesitate to just focus on a couple of areas of the city, because it really is happening all over. We're seeing plans, (many that have already been approved), for all types of residential development - from multifamily, to single family, to estate homes. We'll see it all under construction this year, in all corners of Springdale. But, because I get the most questions about a couple of specific areas, I'll touch on those.