Mayor Stewart presents State of the City to Common Council

March 14, 2007

STATE OF THE CITY ADDRESS BY MAYOR TIMOTHY STEWART, MARCH 14, 2007

Members of the Common Council, elected officials, department heads, city employees, citizens of New Britain.

Thank you for joining me tonight as I once again report to you on the state of our city.

State of the City speeches usually reflect on what has been accomplished during the past year and provide an assessment of the current state of affairs in our community. To that end, I will highlight some of our achievements from 2006.

But, tonight, I also intend to focus on outlining for you the directions in which we will be moving in the future. First, let me begin by assuring you that the state of our City is strong and that our future is full of promiseÉ..promise for an even better and vibrant New Britain.

In every sector of our city, from our revitalized downtown district, to our neighborhoodsÉ. to our commercial areas, new buildings have been built or are being planned. New jobs have been created or are being created. New projects are underway or in the planning stages and new opportunities for a better life are being created for our citizens.

During 2006, our city was a safer place. As a result of the efforts of my office and Chief Gagliardi, our police academy graduates are keeping the police force at a full contingent and it shows by the drop in our crime rate. Our neighborhoods are safer and new initiatives are making our schools safer for our children.

In our downtown district a new hotel opened along with a nationally renowned restaurant bringing more people to our city. Along with increased activity at Trinity on Main and the Hole in the Wall Theater, we are beginning to see more people visiting New Britain every week.

New developers have purchased vacant buildings and are planning to construct new housing and bring new commercial establishments to our center city.

The first new building has recently opened in Smart Park Two as Siracusa Moving and Storage made good on its commitment to expand its presence in New Britain. Guida's and Dattco will soon follow suit bringing substantial gains in our Grand List.

What we are seeing is a new and exciting interest being shown in our city by those who create jobs and bring business to New Britain. Every week, new business owners and investors contact the City and express interest in moving here. This is a decided change from the down years of the past and a promise of new growth and development.

But, in the face of change and growth, we must protect and improve the quality of life for those of us who live and work here today and for those who will follow us tomorrow.

Too often in the past, decisions were made with the next election in mind. It is my belief that the time has come for us to plan for the next generation and not just the next election.

It is with that in mind that we must look to the future of our City and offer a vision of what New Britain can become.

First and foremost will be the future development of our downtown. The Downtown Study Steering Committee has presented a blueprint for making our downtown district a more vibrant and vital place for people to visit.

This visionary plan includes the future CCSU arena which will seat 8,000 people for athletic events and concerts. This arena can serve as a cornerstone for future downtown development and spur commercial and retail expansions on the north side of the downtown.

The plan also includes recommendations for expanding retail and commercial space as well as adding new residential developments that will increase downtown population.

The plan is an ambitious oneÉone that can make New Britain a centerpiece of Central Connecticut. It will take visionary leadership to bring it to fruition and, to that end, we are planning on securing the services of a master developer to oversee the planning and redevelopment of our new downtown.

During the current year we will move forward with the demolition and development of the Pinnacle Heights propertyÉ.60 acres of prime land that offers us an opportunity for major economic development advances.

Already several very serious companies have contacted my office to inquire about developing both the downtown and Pinnacle HeightsÉdevelopment that will ultimately lead to expansion of the Grand List as well as job opportunities for our local residents.

The Broad Street project will move into its next phase. This will further clean up and develop the most vibrant commercial area in our city. Two decades ago, Broad Street was in declineÉtoday it is on the rebound with new restaurants, delicatessens, financial institutions and the like opening on a regular basis. Broad Street has become such an attractive location that Farmington Savings Bank will open its newest branch very soon on the corner of Broad and High Streets.

Arch Street will also receive a boost as the Hart Street throughway is developed this year. Portions of Arch Street have been in decline in recent years and this initiative will offer similar opportunities to those provided on Broad Street.

Planned future expansion in that area by the Hospital of Central Connecticut along with potential development of medical services facilities will enhance the neighborhood while providing New Britain residents with quality health care services.

On the education front, New Britain continues to make a real commitment to the children of our city. This year should see the completion of the new 9th grade academy at New Britain High School. This will relieve overcrowding and enhance the educational experience our youngsters have at the high school.

As the year progresses, I intend to move forward with a comprehensive "Clean City" initiative designed to make New Britain a cleaner and environmentally better city for all of our residents.

The "Clean City" program is designed to encourage a spirit of cooperation and community responsibility. This will be a collective effort to enhance the City's appearance, encourage business and property owners to join in the effort and enforce environmental, health and safety rules and regulations.

The first step in this endeavor has already brought about significant results. Last year we embarked on a change in the City's non-burnable trash pick-up program. The results have been astounding with less garbage and positive income flowing through our Public Works Department. The next step in this process has been initiated and called the Clean Cart program.

In this program, every residence in New Britain will be given a new, large cart which can be wheeled to the curb. The cart will hold 95 gallons, thus eliminating the unsightly piles of trash on our city streets. Add to that the ability of seniors to obtain a reduced size container if they are physically unable to handle the new style and this program is destined for success.

It is a system already in use in many Connecticut communities leading to better rubbish collection services, significant reduction in collection and disposal costs, and cleaner neighborhoods resulting from reduced litter.

And from here we will embark on a program to completely rebuild and realign our streets and sidewalks throughout the city. This program will significantly enhance the appearance we show to the people who live in and visit our great city. It is time to once again take pride in the wonderful place in which we live called New Britain.

One of the most exciting accomplishments of this past year was a partnership between our City and Habitat for Humanity. With the help of many dedicated volunteers, we were able to provide new homes for several families who will invest in their own future as well as that of our city.

What was once a blighted neighborhood is now home to a block of single family homes that will enhance the value of other properties and make the area a safer and more attractive place in which to live.

Because of the success of last year's effort, we will again this year work with Habitat to provide even more families with homes of their own. It is a program that benefits everyone in our community and enables deserving families to realize the dream of owning their own home.

I have spent a good portion of my remarks talking about economic development and the promise that it brings to our community.

In essence what development and expansion means is a better quality of life for our local residents. It means job opportunities for students looking to graduate from high school and for families looking to make a better life for themselves.

By expanding our tax base and providing new and exciting opportunities for our residents we will be able to enhance the quality of services that our city can provide.

While schools, public safety and taxes get the most attention, there are a whole host of services that our City provides and provides them well.

They all relate to the quality of life that our residents experienceÉfrom our drinking water to solid waste managementÉ.from our sewers to recyclingÉfrom our parks to the maintenance of our City streets and sidewalks, the City of New Britain has a major impact on the lives of everyone who lives here.

I would be remiss if I did not include these services among a state of the City report. They are among our most important accomplishments that we do on a daily basis and we do them very well.

Among the quality of life issues we addressed during the past year and continue to address today are the issues that affect various neighborhoods throughout the community.

Recently, the residents of the Belvedere section of town have raised concerns about housing issues in their neighborhoodÉ.issues involving students from Central Connecticut State University.

As a result, the City has begun a new cooperative effort working with Dr. Miller, President of CCSU, neighborhood residents, landlords and various departments of City government to address these concerns.

What has been a contentious issue has led to new understanding of everyone's concerns and our ability to address those concerns. The long-term effects of this new cooperative effort can only enhance the quality of life for both the residents of Belvedere and the University community as a whole.

Finally, the finances of our City remain sound. Three tax cuts in three years, balanced budgets, a boost in the City's bond rating all indicate that fiscally New Britain is on sound footing and should remain that way for the foreseeable future.

Of course, we must remain committed to limiting the growth in City spending and to finding new ways to make our operations more efficient and effective.

Very soon, the proposed budget for fiscal 2008 will be unveiled. As soon as it is, we will begin working to trim costs wherever we can in order to assure that services are maintained and our taxpayers are spared the burden of undue increases in their property taxes. It's a tough job but I am committed to holding the line on spending and taxes once again this year.

As I said at the beginning of my remarks, I have tried to outline for you my vision for New Britain's future and to highlight some of our achievements of the past year.

While we should note the accomplishments great and small of the last year, we as leaders of the city, need to build on what we have to make it even better.

Author John Kotter has written, "Leaders establish the vision for the future and set the strategy for getting there. They cause change. They motivate and inspire others to go in the right direction and they, along with everyone else, sacrifice to get there."

This is our challenge as we head into another year in New Britain.

I ask that you join me in this challenge so that, together, we can build a better New Britain for those of us who live and work here today and for those who will follow us tomorrow.

Thank all of you for your continued support and may God bless the City of New Britain.