Good evening. I would like to take a few moments to examine some of the accomplishments Council has made over the past year and address some of the issues I would like for us to focus on in 2011.
First, I want to express my appreciation for the opportunity to serve as your Mayor. It has been, and continues to be, truly an honor for me.
I would like to thank my fellow Council members for their cooperation, dedication, time and diligence in serving you, the citizen. I would also like to thank my wife Angela and my family and the families of my fellow Council members for their support and sacrifices in allowing us to fulfill our elected duties.
In an effort to keep this address brief, I will highlight just a few of the top accomplishments from the past year:
A major goal for the Town of Lexington is to provide a community that is esthetically appealing to our citizens, making for a wonderful place to live, work, learn, worship and play. Additionally, an attractive, appealing Town helps our business community and enhances the investment they have made in Lexington. To help create such an atmosphere, the Town initiated an 18-month notification period for compliance with our Sign Ordinance, passed in April 1999. All 78 nonconforming permanent signs were transitioned by October 2010, with little fanfare. The new signs must be monument style and smaller than 10ft in height.
A great town has a strong, vibrant economy. People want to live close to jobs and the goods and services needed for daily living. The Town of Lexington is such a place. As Mayor, I want to make our community stronger and more vibrant. Along with growth in population and housing, the Town has also experienced a remarkable increase in new businesses. "Cities Mean Business" is the tag line of the South Carolina Municipal Association. The Association focuses on three principles: promoting economic development, enhancing quality of life and local government accountability and fiscal responsibility. We here in the Town of Lexington agree wholeheartedly with these principles. To that end, we have created the Business and Development Services Center, one of the first, if not the first, in the state. Customers can use this one-stop shop for assistance with economic development, building inspections, business licensing, mapping, community policing, planning and zoning.
Public Safety is another major concern for our residents and is one of the key criteria businesses look at before deciding to locate in a community. In order to ensure the highest quality of protection to our residents, the Lexington Police Department has implemented several new features. First, in conjunction with our Parks, Streets and Sanitation Department, LPD has installed Call Boxes in ALL Town parks. They have also unveiled the new RAIDS Online Service, which provides residents with crime data and alerts. The Town of Lexington was the first in the Midlands to use this system and you may sign up for the service on our website. Finally, to assist with emergency service matters, LPD has acquired FOUR Defibrillators. The AED's have been placed in three patrol cars with the additional being housed at headquarters.
Through "building partnerships" with local businesses and local organizations, the Town has also been able to build, enhance and improve our parks. In 2010, we were able to open the new Scenic Overlook at Gibson Pond Park. This effort was made possible by the Lexington Sertoma Club that raised more than $8,000 through their Big Thursday Carolina-Clemson fund-raiser, for the project and the dedication and hard work from our Parks staff to construct the bridge. We are proud to announce that this will be a continuing partnership and we are excited to provide new features to our parks, increasing our quality of life.
The Town continues to be recognized for our wonderful parks.
This past year, we received the Statewide Municipal Association Achievement Award for our newest location, Willie B. Caractor Park. The project was completed with one of the first public/private partnerships which included our Town, Lexington County, Golden State Foods Foundation, Lexington Medical Center and many other donations. Without their generous financial support, this park, which serves the western part of our Town, could not have been built. The park is located on a lot seized in 2001 for illegal activity and through these partnerships, a place of blight and crime was turned into a positive asset for a community.
The Town is also working extremely hard on efforts to extend and build new sidewalks, answering the call of our residents to help facilitate a "healthier" lifestyle. With the assistance of grant money which we have been actively pursuing, we have and will be installing new sidewalks on Church Street, Gibson Road (100% funded) and George Street (100% funded).
We've had some wonderful accomplishments in the past year - but, there's always more work to be done. Here are a few of the efforts we should focus on in 2011:
First and foremost, the Town is celebrating its Sesquicentennial - 150 years of a historical and wonderful community. Our Town is rooted in rich history as it was one of the 11 townships established in 1735 by King George II. We formally became the County Seat in 1820 and received our municipal charter 41 years later, in 1861. The Town will be participating in various events year-long so keep your eyes and ears open for festivities and events recognizing this great achievement. I would like to thank the Friends of the Museum for kicking our celebration off with a birthday party on Saturday, January 29th.
A top priority for our Town to continue its viability is to reign in the traffic issues we currently face and will continue to face. Our Unified Traffic Improvement Plan is currently in Phase I. Council and staff has worked diligently to approve the SCDOT recommendations, but we still face uphill challenges. SCDOT is now actively acquiring Right of Way in preparation of utility lines being moved to expand and extend the roads. Phase I of the plan includes improvements along Columbia Avenue at Park Road, W. Main St., and W. Butler St. to relieve congestion along this congested corridor. Roadway expansion and improvements are imperative to help the area continue as an economic engine for our Town. Our escalating traffic congestion is becoming a determent to growth, both commercial and residential, so we must be ever so diligent in moving our plan forward without unnecessary delays. The growing traffic congestion concerns have been, by far, the most predominant
issue raised during the early state of our Vision Planning. The simple truth is we must start the conversation on how do we provide the local match now required to even have an opportunity to secure additional road improvement funds from the state and federal governments.
To make certain the Town of Lexington grows responsibly, we have enlisted the assistance of the Boudreaux Group to conduct our Vision Plan. This long range comprehensive plan will work with ALL of our community's stakeholders, to create a template for our Town's future as we peer into 2020 and beyond.
The Vision Plan would depict what we want our Town to become, focusing on such topics as:
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Infrastructure - water, sewer, transportation
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Educational Partnerships
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Public Safety and Community Focused Policing
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Quality of Life - especially Green Space and Park Development
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Building and Construction Standards
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Downtown Redevelopment
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Entrepreneurial, Incubator and Technology Opportunities
It would outline the strategies on what would be required for us to do and the necessary means to get there, especially possible funding sources. I encourage everyone to participate during our informational and input sessions we will continue to host throughout the year. We only have one opportunity to do it right. I'm convinced now is the time.
As Mayor, one of my priorities has been to foster and encourage partnerships. We can accomplish so much more when we work together to leverage our limited resources. This is more critical now than ever before. The Town continues to partner with many organizations to host such events as Lexington Wine Walk on Main and Oktoberfest. These programs not only help to showcase the heart and soul of our downtown, but promote partnerships to instill a sense of belonging to everyone, that Lexington is YOUR community, YOUR home.
Another way showcase out community is to establish a local downtown Farmers Market. This recommendation comes as an outgrowth of our recent trip to Greenville, where they have a local market each Saturday from May - October, gaining popularity each season. Local growers would have an opportunity to sell their locally grown fruits and vegetables and residents will have an opportunity to buy produce fresh, right off the truck. Equally important, it will drive people to our downtown and create activities so vital to revitalization. I am asking Council to move on this initiative tonight as spring and summer are fast approaching.
Another "late breaking" initiative I would ask our Council to consider is the establishment of a Dog Park. That's right, a Doggie Park! When I was first approached about this effort a year ago, I didn't feel we had a need for such service. However, as the months drew, I saw the impact other municipalities in South Carolina had by providing such a facility. It once again has come to the forefront by many of our citizens, who have approached me expressing such a need and desire to add this to the Town of Lexington. This service would help accommodate
residents who are restrained by small yards and leash ordinances in place for public safety. I feel it is now time to pursue this avenue as it is viewed by many as a quality of life essential and I wholeheartedly agree.
It is a proven fact that our Town continues to grow by leaps and bounds. According to the United States Census Bureau, The Town of Lexington has expanded by 67% since 2000. Due to the population influx, we conducted a special census back in 2005. Those figures showed a population of 16,321. We anticipate that when the 2010 figures are released in the coming weeks, Lexington will have crossed the 20,000 (plus) threshold. This is especially important because the Town receives $30 per year for each person counted. This could mean more than $6,000,000 over the next decade. This state and federal aid helps to control our taxes during this time of rapid growth and service demands.
Council must continue to support ways for the Town to grow strategically, communicate and Build Partnerships, so we remain viable and provide the necessary public information and services without tax increases for our citizens. Social Media has now become mainstream, not just for personal communications between family and friends, but for all organizations such as Town Halls. Social Media allows for instant interface between two parties, such as the Town with our citizens. We will continue our Social Media development through Facebook, Twitter and You Tube. Communications through traditional media such as radio, newspaper and TV are still alive and well. Currently, I do a weekly radio program with one of our newest stations on the airwaves, community radio WLXM 107.9FM, who is broadcasting live tonight the State of the Town Address.
"Monday with the Mayor" airs each Monday morning between 10am-10:30am and allows me the opportunity to share with citizens the events and happenings going on with our Town. Another newly formed local station - Beach, Boogie and Blues, 1170AM - has asked me to join my counterpart, City of Columbia Mayor Steve Benjamin, in a monthly, hour-long roundtable to address issues concerning the Midlands. Also, Lexington Woman's Magazine has asked me to resume and expand the Mayor's Column in their publication, which was previously published in another local magazine, with a Q & A format. Finally, the Lexington County Chronicle Newspaper has requested a similar column to appear regularly in its publication. I thank them all for their interest in providing opportunities for me, as your Mayor, to share the Town's activities and programs of community interest, at no cost to you, by the way.
On a final note, none of this can be done without your assistance. We count on our citizens to be the eyes and ears of this great Town. Fostering our relationship will help guide the Town's mission of efficiently and effectively providing essential public services to our citizens, businesses and visitors. The Town further strives to preserve its identity and character, promote recreation and the arts and support excellence in education - ensuring a vibrant future for our Town.
In closing, we have had a successful beginning to our New Year and I wish you all a continued healthy, happy and prosperous 2011. God bless you. God bless our Town, the State of South Carolina and our great nation, the United States of America.
