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MAYOR
ELAINE SCRUGGS’
2008
STATE OF THE BUSINESS COMMUNITY ADDRESS
“LEGACY
OF SUCCESS. VISION FOR THE
FUTURE.”
GOOD
AFTERNOON.
THANK
YOU ALL FOR YOUR INTEREST AND YOUR INVESTMENTS IN THE CITY OF GLENDALE.
I AM VERY HAPPY TO WELCOME YOU HERE TODAY.
I
WANT TO ALSO THANK THE DIRECTORS OF THE GLENDALE CHAMBER OF COMMERCE WHO
PROVIDE THIS ANNUAL OPPORTUNITY FOR US TO CELEBRATE GLENDALE’S SUCCESSES
AND FOCUS ON OUR FUTURE.
KNOWING
THAT THE EARLY WEEKS OF THIS YEAR WOULD BE VERY BUSY FOR EVERYONE IN
GLENDALE, I STARTED THINKING LAST FALL ABOUT WHAT I WOULD WANT TO SAY IN
MY MESSAGE TO YOU TODAY.
I
THOUGHT ABOUT SEVERAL YEARS AGO WHEN I SAID THAT GLENDALE COULD BE ---
WOULD BE --- AND HAD TO BE --- MORE THAN A BEDROOM COMMUNITY.
MY GOAL WAS TO CONVINCE THE BUSINESS COMMUNITY THAT GLENDALE HAD
TREMENDOUS OPPORTUNITIES, ESPECIALLY IN OUR WESTERN AREA --- AND THAT WE
WERE LOOKING FOR THE RIGHT PARTNERS TO HELP US BUILD OUR BEST POSSIBLE
FUTURE.
I
THOUGHT ABOUT MORE RECENT YEARS WHEN I INTRODUCED OUR NEWEST AREA OF
OPPORTUNITY, ALONG THE LOOP 303 CORRIDOR.
AND
I THOUGHT ABOUT HOW MORE QUICKLY THAN ANYONE WOULD HAVE EVER IMAGINED,
GLENDALE HAS BECOME SUCCESSFUL IN ACHIEVING MANY OF OUR GOALS AND VISIONS.
GLENDALE’S
SUCCESS HAS BEEN OF A MAGNITUDE LARGER THAN ANYONE WOULD HAVE EVER
PREDICTED, AND IT COULD NOT ESCAPE ANYONE’S NOTICE.
FOR
MANY, THE FIRST TIME THEY PAID ANY ATTENTION TO GLENDALE WAS WHEN WE BUILT
AN ARENA FOR BOTH HOCKEY AND CONCERTS --- AND THE WORLD’S MOST POPULAR
ENTERTAINERS STARTED COMING HERE TO PERFORM.
MANY
OTHERS STARTED PAYING ATTENTION TO US WHEN A FOOTBALL STADIUM BECAME THE
DOMINANT FEATURE IN OUR SKYLINE.
BUT
NOTHING CAN COMPARE TO THE AWARENESS OF GLENDALE, ARIZONA CREATED BY
HOSTING SUPER BOWL XLII .
IN
ADDITION TO BEING FRONT AND CENTER DURING GAME COVERAGE, GLENDALE RECEIVED
UNPRECEDENTED MEDIA EXPOSURE, INCLUDING A CENTERPIECE STORY IN THE NEW
YORK TIMES ON SUPER BOWL SUNDAY.
IN THE WEEKS LEADING UP
TO THE SUPER BOWL, CLOSE
TO 3000 TELEVISION
STORIES WERE BROADCAST ABOUT GLENDALE ARIZONA TO A NATIONWIDE
AUDIENCE OF MORE THAN
350 MILLION PEOPLE.
THE WEEK CULMINATED WITH
96 MILLION PEOPLE WATCHING ONE OF THE GREATEST SUPER BOWL GAMES EVER,
AND IT WAS PLAYED RIGHT HERE IN GLENDALE
ARIZONA.
FOR
MULTITUDES OF PEOPLE, GLENDALE CAME INTO BEING JUST IN THE LAST MONTH,
YEAR, OR DECADE RATHER THAN OUR ACTUAL BIRTH YEAR IN 1892.
WITH
ALL THIS IN MIND, I DECIDED THAT IN ADDITION TO TALKING ABOUT GLENDALE’S
FUTURE, I WANTED TO USE MY 2008 STATE OF THE BUSINESS COMMUNITY ADDRESS TO
TELL A LITTLE ABOUT GLENDALE’S IMPRESSIVE 116-YEAR HISTORY.
I
INVITED SOME FRIENDS TO HELP TELL OUR STORY.
THEY AND THEIR FAMILIES HELPED CREATE OUR PRESENT DAY CITY --- AND
ARE STILL OUR PARTNERS AS WE WORK TO ACCOMPLISH OUR NEAR-TERM GOALS.
YOU
HAVE MET SOME OF THEM IN THE
OPENING VIDEO AND WILL LEARN MORE FROM THEM AS I SPEAK TODAY ABOUT
GLENDALE’S “LEGACY OF SUCCESS AND VISION FOR THE FUTURE”.
GLENDALE’S
STORY BEGAN IN 1883, WHEN A RAILROAD CONTRACTOR BY THE NAME OF WILLIAM J.
MURPHY WAS HIRED TO BUILD A 44-MILE LONG CANAL FROM THE SALT RIVER ON THE
EAST, ACROSS THE NORTHERN PART OF THE VALLEY TO THE AGUA FRIA RIVER ON THE
WEST.
W.
J. MURPHY WAS A TRUE VISIONARY --- AND HE WAS SO INTRIGUED BY THE
POSSIBILITIES OF THIS GIANT PROJECT THAT HE SIGNED A RISKY CONTRACT THAT
SPECIFIED HE MUST COMPLETE THE CANAL ON SCHEDULE OR RECEIVE NO
COMPENSATION.
MOREOVER,
WHEN HE FINISHED THE JOB, HIS PAYMENT WOULD NOT BE IN CASH, BUT IN CANAL
COMPANY STOCKS AND BONDS.
BECAUSE
THE AREA DID NOT HAVE THE CAPITAL RESOURCES NOR THE POPULATION TO SUSTAIN
THIS MAJOR UNDERTAKING, MURPHY
HAD TO SEEK OUTSIDE FUNDING ---- AND HE WENT HEAVILY INTO DEBT.
AND
DEVELOPERS TODAY THINK THEY HAVE IT ROUGH.
DESPITE
ALL OBSTACLES, THE FIRST WATER FLOWED THROUGH THE NEWLY-CONSTRUCTED
ARIZONA CANAL IN MAY 1885.
THIS
OPENED UP NEARLY 100,000 ACRES OF DESERT LAND TO HOMESTEADING AND
IRRIGATION FARMING. IT ALSO
PROVIDED A WAY FOR MURPHY TO RECOUP HIS FINANCIAL LOSSES.
HE AND OTHER INVESTORS BOUGHT LAND WHICH THEY SOLD TO FARMERS AND
OTHER SETTLERS.
WE
MIGHT SAY GLENDALE’S FOUNDER, W. J. MURPHY, WAS ALSO GLENDALE’S FIRST
LAND SPECULATOR.
IN
1888, MURPHY AND OTHERS
CONSTRUCTED A DIAGONAL ROAD WHICH PROVIDED THE FIRST DIRECT LINK TO THE
NORTHWEST PORTION OF THE VALLEY FROM PHOENIX.
THIS ROAD IS GRAND AVENUE --- WHICH WE CONTINUE TO RELY ON HEAVILY
TO THIS DAY, 120 YEARS LATER.
WITH
AN AMPLE SUPPLY OF WATER FOR THE LAND, A MAJOR ROADWAY PASSING THROUGH
FROM THE NORTHWEST TO THE SOUTHEAST, SEVERAL
SUCCESSFUL AGRICULTURAL VENTURES IN PLACE, AND A TEMPERANCE CLAUSE WRITTEN
INTO EVERY DEED, MURPHY WAS
ABLE TO ATTRACT SETTLERS LOOKING FOR A PLACE IN ARIZONA SAFE FROM THE
“WILD WEST” TOWN KNOWN AS PHOENIX RUN BY A MAN NAMED JACK SWILLING.
GLENDALE’S
FIRST RESIDENTIAL AREA WAS PLATTED ON FEBRUARY 27, 1892
WHICH IS THE DATE WE CELEBRATE AS OUR CITY’S OFFICIAL BIRTHDAY.
THE PARK AT THE CENTER OF OUR DOWNTOWN, IS NAMED MURPHY PARK, IN
HONOR OF GLENDALE’S FOUNDER.
W.
J. MURPHY WENT ON TO PLAY A PROMINENT ROLE
IN
ARIZONA’S DEVELOPMENT BEYOND GLENDALE
…. HE
TRADED GRAND AVENUE’S RIGHT-OF-WAY TO THE RAILROAD IN EXCHANGE FOR A
RAILWAY LINE BETWEEN PHOENIX AND THE STATE CAPITAL WHICH WAS THEN
PRESCOTT; HE BUILT THE
MURPHY BRIDLE TRAIL ON CENTRAL AVENUE;
HE BUILT PHOENIX’S FIRST STREET RAILWAY SYSTEM
(WHICH IS NOW BEING REINCARNATED AS VALLEY METRO LIGHT RAIL);
AND IN GLENDALE HE BUILT THE ONLY URBAN ELECTRIC STREETCAR SYSTEM
IN ARIZONA.
MURPHY
AND THE OTHERS WHO CAME HERE CREATED REASONS FOR OTHERS TO FOLLOW AND
CONTRIBUTE IMMEASURABLY TO THE DEVELOPMENT OF GLENDALE AS WE KNOW IT
TODAY.
PLEASE
JOIN ME IN HEARING WHAT TWO OF THOSE VERY IMPORTANT PEOPLE HAVE TO SAY
ABOUT THE INVOLVEMENT THEY AND THEIR FAMILIES HAVE HAD IN SHAPING
GLENDALE.
VIDEO
SEGMENT #1
Larry
Carolyn
ONCE
THE ARIZONA CANAL WAS COMPLETED IN 1885, THERE NEEDED TO BE A WAY TO STORE
AND DELIVER THE WATER.
IN
1903, SETTLERS PLEDGED MORE THAN 200,000 ACRES OF LAND AS COLLATERAL FOR A
GOVERNMENT LOAN TO CREATE THE SALT RIVER VALLEY WATER USERS’
ASSOCIATION. SHORTLY AFTER THAT, THANKS TO THE NEW ROOSEVELT DAM, WE
HAD ELECTRICITY TOO.
TODAY,
THE WATER USERS’ ASSOCIATION AND THE POWER DISTRICT OPERATE AS SALT
RIVER PROJECT AND CONTINUE TO PLAY A MAJOR ROLE IN GLENDALE’S ECONOMIC
DEVELOPMENT.
THE
SRP AGUA FRIA STEAM GENERATION PLANT AT 75TH AVENUE AND NORTHERN ALLOWED
FOR EXPANSION IN GLENDALE AND THE WEST VALLEY.
AND SRP’S ROVEY
ELECTRICAL SUBSTATION SERVES THE UNIVERSITY OF PHOENIX STADIUM.
YOU
HEARD FROM LARRY ROVEY AND CAROLYN PENDERGAST IN THE VIDEO.
LIKE MEMBERS OF THEIR FAMILIES IN THE PAST, LARRY AND CAROLYN HAVE
BEEN ELECTED TO SERVE IN SRP LEADERSHIP POSITIONS.
THE
ROVEY AND PENDERGAST FAMILIES HAVE BEEN KEY TO GLENDALE’S EMERGENCE AS A
SPORTS AND ENTERTAINMENT DESTINATION.
THEY WILL CONTINUE TO PLAY KEY ROLES AS THEY MAKE DECISIONS
REGARDING THE EXTREMELY IMPORTANT LAND THEY STILL OWN IN WESTERN GLENDALE.
ON
BEHALF OF MY COUNCIL COLLEAGUES AND THE CITY OF GLENDALE, I WANT TO EXTEND
OUR APPRECIATION TO THEM AND THEIR FAMILIES FOR BEING OUR PARTNERS.
NOW
LET ME TAKE YOU BACK TO THE YEAR 1910. THERE
WERE ABOUT 1,000 CITIZENS IN GLENDALE.
THEY HAD WATER AND ELECTRICITY, TELEPHONES, A BANK, AND A SCHOOL
… IT WAS AT THAT TIME THEY DECIDED TO INCORPORATE THEIR COMMUNITY AS
“THE TOWN OF GLENDALE”.
ONE
YEAR LATER VAN AND TUCK SINE OPENED A
HARDWARE
STORE ON 58TH DRIVE HERE IN DOWNTOWN.
SINE HARDWARE COMPANY RECENTLY CELEBRATED ITS 96TH ANNIVERSARY. IT IS GLENDALE’S OLDEST RETAIL BUSINESS --- AND IT IS STILL
OWNED AND OPERATED BY MEMBERS OF THE SINE FAMILY.
SEVERAL
YEARS AGO THE CITY OF GLENDALE BOUGHT AND RESTORED THE ORIGINAL BUILIDNG
ON 58TH DRIVE, WHICH WAS VACANT AT THE TIME.
SEVEN CITY DEPARTMENTS NOW WORK OUT OF WHAT WE STILL CALL ‘THE
SINE BUILDING’, INCLUDING
OUR ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT DEPARTMENT THAT IS RESPONSIBLE FOR BRINGING NEW
BUSINESS TO GLENDALE.
THAT
IS JUST ONE OF THE MANY WAYS WE CAN SEE GLENDALE’S LEGACY OF SUCCESS
BEING PART OF OUR VISION FOR THE FUTURE.
INDUSTRIAL
LAND USES WERE A MAJOR PART OF GLENDALE’S ECONOMY IN THE EARLY DECADES.
THE
SOUTHWEST SUGAR AND LAND COMPANY BUILT A
FIVE-STORY FACTORY WITH A 184-FOOT SMOKESTACK.
THIS BUILDING STILL STANDS A FEW BLOCKS EAST OF HERE
AND IS KNOWN AS THE “BEET SUGAR FACTORY”.
THE
OPERATION OF THAT FACTORY ATTRACTED OTHER INDUSTRIES INCLUDING THE
GLENDALE ICE COMPANY, THE PACIFIC CREAMERY COMPANY, THE SOUTHWEST FLOUR
AND FEED COMPANY, AND THE GLENDALE MILLING COMPANY.
TRANSPORTATION
WAS KEY TO BRINGING IN VITAL
BUSINESSES AND INDUSTRIES TO FURTHER STRENGTHEN THE CITY’S ECONOMY AND
VITALITY. NOW, HISTORY
IS ABOUT TO REPEAT ITSELF. INDUSTRIAL
DEVELOPMENT WILL SOON RETURN AS A KEY COMPONENT OF GLENDALE’S ECONOMY.
AND NEW TRANSPORTATION OPTIONS WILL USHER IN THESE OPPORTUNITIES.
ONE
OF THE KEY PROJECTS SPURRING DEVELOPMENT INTEREST IN FAR WESTERN GLENDALE
IS THE NORTHERN PARKWAY.
NORTHERN
PARKWAY WILL BE A SIX-LANE ROADWAY WITH GRADE-SEPARATED INTERSECTIONS. IT WILL EXTEND TWELVE AND A HALF MILES ----- FROM GRAND
AVENUE TO LOOP 303, WHERE THE TWO WILL CONNECT.
THE
LOOP 303 CORRIDOR WILL BE THE NEW REGIONAL FREEWAY LINK IN THE WEST
VALLEY. IT WILL CREATE
DEVELOPMENT OPPORTUNITIES IN MUCH THE SAME WAY AS THE LOOP 101 DID WHEN IT
OPENED IN GLENDALE JUST 7 YEARS AGO.
THE
LOOP 303 IS BEING BUILT IN PHASES. CONSTRUCTION
OF THE ENTIRE 50 MILE FREEWAY WILL BE COMPLETED IN JUST 9 YEARS.
I
WOULD LIKE TO PAUSE HERE TO ADD PERSPECTIVE TO THE STATEMENT THAT THE LOOP
303 WILL BE COMPLETED IN JUST 9 YEARS.
9
YEARS AGO TODAY WAS 1999.
WHAT
I WOULD LIKE FOR YOU TO DO NOW IS TO VISUALIZE
THE
SIGHTS AND SOUNDS OF SUPER BOWL SUNDAY, JUST 17 DAYS AGO.
REMEMBER THE AERIAL SHOTS SHOWING THE STADIUM,
THE CROWDS ENJOYING THEMSELVES IN BEAUTIFUL WESTGATE CITY CENTER,
THE HOTELS THAT WERE TOTALLY BOOKED?
NOW THINK ABOUT WHAT THAT AREA LOOKED LIKE 9 YEARS AGO.
ADOT
HAD NOT YET MOVED THE 5000 COWS FROM THE GINGG DAIRY AT 99TH AND GLENDALE
AVENUES.
COMPLETION
OF THE FINAL SEGMENT OF LOOP 101 WAS STILL 18 MONTHS AWAY.
ANY
TALK OF THE THREE MILES BETWEEN NORTHERN AVENUE AND CAMELBACK ROAD JUST
EAST OF 99TH AVENUE BECOMING HOME
TO THE COYOTES -------- THE CARDINALS -------- THE FIESTA BOWL -----------
9 HOTELS ----------THE 6.5 MILLION SQUARE FOOT MIXED-USE DEVELOPMENT
CALLED WESTGATE -------- AND THE CENTER OF ATTENTION FOR 98 MILLION PEOPLE
ON FEBRUARY 3, 2008 WOULD
HAVE GOTTEN YOU FREE PASSAGE INTO AN INSTITUTION.
BUT
THAT WAS THEN. USING
THE LAST NINE YEARS AS AN EXAMPLE OF HOW GLENDALE MAKES THINGS HAPPEN,
I FEEL SURE YOU BELIEVE WE WILL WORK WITH OUR PARTNERS TO BRING
ECONOMIC PROSPERITY TO THE LOOP 303 AREA OF OUR CITY JUST AS WE DID TO THE
LOOP 101 AREA.
LET’S
LISTEN TO TWO OF THE LANDOWNERS WHO WILL BE OUR PARTNERS IN MAKING THIS
HAPPEN.
VIDEO
SEGMENT #2
Michael
Francis
Leyton
Woolf
I
WANT TO TAKE THIS OPPORTUNITY TO THANK MICHAEL FRANCIS AND LEYTON WOOLF
FOR THEIR COMMITMENT TO ENSURING DEVELOPMENT ON THEIR PROPERTY WILL BE
COMPATIBLE WITH NEIGHBORING LUKE AIR FORCE BASE. WE,
ALONG WITH ALL ARIZONANS WHO RECOGNIZE THE VALUE OF LUKE TO OUR NATIONAL
DEFENSE AND SECURITY, APPLAUD THESE LANDOWNERS FOR THEIR FIRM RESOLVE TO
HELP PRESERVE THE MISSION OF LUKE.
RETURNING
AGAIN TO THE STORY OF OUR HISTORY WE FIND THAT OUR CITY BEGAN TO
EXPERIENCE EXPLOSIVE GROWTH STARTING IN THE 1960’s.
GLENDALE
WAS TRANSFORMED FROM A VILLAGE OF ABOUT 15,000 RESIDENTS TO ONE OF OUR
NATION’S 100 LARGEST CITIES BY THE YEAR 2000.
THIS
TIME PERIOD ALSO BROUGHT CHANGES TO THE HEART OF OUR CITY, OUR DOWNTOWN.
GLENDALE’S
DOWNTOWN HAD ALWAYS BEEN VIBRANT. IT
WAS WHERE GLENDALIANS WENT TO SEE MOVIES, SHOP AT DEPARTMENT STORES, BUY
GROCERIES, AND GATHER FOR CELEBRATIONS AND ACTIVITIES IN MURPHY PARK.
BUT
POPULATON GROWTH STARTED GOING TO SUBURBS AND AWAY FROM COMMUNITY CORES.
THAT TREND, ALONG WITH
THE ADVENT OF NEIGHBORHOOD SHOPPING CENTERS AND ENCLOSED MALLS, CAUSED
DOWNTOWNS EVERYWHERE TO FALTER. GLENDALE
WAS NO DIFFERENT.
BELIEVING
THAT PRIVATE INVESTMENT WOULD FOLLOW IF PUBLIC INVESTMENT LED THE WAY, THE
CITY OF GLENDALE DEMONSTRATED THE IMPORTANCE OF OUR DOWNTOWN AND A
COMMITMENT TO KEEP IT PRODUCTIVE.
A NEW MUNICIPAL COMPLEX,
WHICH OPENED IN 1984,
WAS THE FIRST INVESTMENT.
THERE HAD BEEN A LOT OF DISCUSSION ABOUT BUILDING IT FURTHER
NORTH WHERE THE POPULATION WAS GOING.
BUT IN A STRONG SHOW OF CONFIDENCE IN
OUR DOWNTOWN, GLENDALE’S NEW CITY
HALL WAS BUILT AROUND MURPHY PARK.
OUR
CITY’S SECOND CAPITAL INVESTMENT WAS FOR
A
NEW MAIN PUBLIC SAFETY AND CITY COURT COMPLEX ON GLENDALE AVENUE, JUST TWO
BLOCKS EAST OF CITY HALL. THAT
FACILITY OPENED IN 1991.
SINCE
THEN THE COUNCIL MEMBERS AND I HAVE CONTINUED OUR DETERMINATION TO
STRENGTHEN
OUR
DOWNTOWN’S ECONOMIC CORE AND VITALITY.
IN
1999, WE PURCHASED AND RENOVATED THE FORMER SINE HARDWARE BUILDING.
AT
THE END OF 1999, WE OPENED THIS BUILDING THIS BEAUTIFUL CIVIC CENTER
WHICH HAS BECOME VERY POPULAR FOR EVERYTHING FROM WEDDINGS AND PROMS
TO CONFERENCES AND SEMINARS, AND EVEN SUPER BOWL PARTIES.
IN
2000 WE PURCHASED THE BANK OF AMERICA BUILDING AND CREATED THE GLENDALE
VISITORS CENTER. IT
WASN’T VERY LONG UNTIL SOME CITY OFFICES WERE MOVED THERE AS WE
OUTGREW CITY HALL.
BY
2006, OUR CIVIC CENTER HAD BECOME SO SUCCESSFUL WE NEEDED MORE RENTABLE
SPACE. TO ACCOMMODATE THE DEMAND, WE RENOVATED THE FORMER BANK
BUILDNG ON THE WEST SIDE OF OUR ENTRY AND CONVERTED IT INTO THE CIVIC
CENTER ANNEX. AT THE SAME
TIME WE BUILT THE CIVIC CENTER PLAZA ON WHAT WAS ONCE THE BANK PARKING
LOT.
WE
HAVE INVESTED MILLIONS OF DOLLARS IN SIDEWALKS, LANDSCAPING, LIGHTING, AND
OTHER INFRASTUCTURE IMPROVEMENTS INCLUDING THE PEDESTRIAN PLAZA AT GRAND
AVENUE .
AND
OUR MOST RECENT PROJECT IS OUR NEW DOWNTOWN PARKING GARAGE, WHICH YOU MAY
HAVE USED TODAY.
WHEN
I SPOKE LAST YEAR I PROMISED THERE WOULD BE A 600-SPACE GARAGE WHEN YOU
RETURNED THIS YEAR.
THERE
ARE A FEW FINISHING TOUCHES LEFT, BUT THE GARAGE WAS READY FOR YOU TO USE
TODAY AS
PROMISED.
REMEMBER, WHAT YOU HEAR ME SAY AT THE GLENDALE CHAMBER OF COMMERCE
ANNUAL MEETING IS WHAT YOU CAN FULLY EXPECT TO HAPPEN.
AND
WHAT IS IT THAT YOU CAN EXPECT FROM GLENDALE IN 2008?
YOU
CAN EXPECT TO SEE A CONTINUATION OF THE TREMENDOUS ECONOMIC GROWTH AND
ACTIVITY THAT SETS GLENDALE APART FROM MANY OTHER CITIES IN ARIZONA.
RIGHT TODAY THERE IS 1.6 MILLION SF OF CONSTRUCTION UNDERWAY.
850,000 SF IS OFFICE SPACE
324,000 SF IS RETAIL --- AND ---
THIS IS IN ADDITION TO
BANNER THUNDERBIRD HOSPITAL’S 295,000
SF EXPANSION
AND MIDWESTERN UNIVERSITY’S
173,000 SF EXPANSION
AND
THEN THERE IS OUR SPRING TRAINING STADIUM FOR THE DODGERS AND WHITE SOX
WHICH WILL BE OPENING THIS TIME NEXT YEAR.
ALL
OF THESE PROJECTS WILL RECEIVE THE QUALITY STAFF ATTENTION NEEDED SO THEY
CAN OPEN AND SERVE THE PUBLIC AS QUICKLY AS POSSIBLE.
BUT,
FIRST AND FOREMOST, WE WILL CONTINUE TO FULFILL OUR MOST IMPORTANT DUTY
---- MAKING FISCALLY RESPONSIBLE DECISIONS SO THAT WE CAN MAINTAIN THE
EXCELLENT LEVEL OF SERVICES TO OUR RESIDENTS AND BUSINESSES THAT MAKES
GLENDALE A LOCATION OF CHOICE, NOT CHANCE.
WE
WILL HOST ANOTHER SEASON OF ARIZONA CARDINALS FOOTBALL AND ANOTHER FIESTA
BOWL. WE MAY EVEN SEE OURSELVES HOSTING NHL PLAYOFF GAMES IF THE
COYOTES KEEP PLAYING THE WAY THEY HAVE BEEN LATELY.
I
WAS GOING TO SAY THAT I DOUBT
GLENDALE WILL HOST ANOTHER AMERICAN IDOL --- BUT AMAZINGLY
ENOUGH A GLENDALE RESIDENT IS AGAIN A FINALIST.
REGARDLESS
OF THAT OUTCOME, I FEEL SURE STEVE ELLMAN WILL CONTINUE TO SURPRISE AND
ENTERTAIN US WITH EXCITING SHOWS AND CELEBRITIES IN THE WESTGATE PLAZAS.
SHOULDN’T WE BE SEEING JIMMY BUFFETT SOON AT HIS MARGARITAVILLE
IN WESTGATE?
ON
THE DEVELOPMENT FRONT, WE WILL SEE INCREASED ACTIVITY IN THE VICINITY OF
THE LOOP 303 WHICH I TALKED ABOUT EARLIER. LANDOWNERS ARE ACTIVELY WORKING TOGETHER ON DEVELOPMENT ISSUES
WITH A COMMON GOAL TO MOVE FORWARD AS QUICKLY AS POSSIBLE.
AS
WE HEARD LEYTON WOOLF SAY, THE LOOP 303 AREA IS “OPPORTUNITY”.
SO
EVEN IF WE WERE NOT GOING TO EMBARK ON ANYTHING NEW,
MORE IS ALREADY GOING ON IN GLENDALE THAN PROBABLY ANY OTHER CITY
IN THIS STATE.
LET’S
TAKE A FEW MOMENTS AND HEAR FROM THREE MORE VERY SPECIAL PEOPLE WHO HAVE
GIVEN SO MUCH TO OUR COMMUNITY THROUGH THE YEARS.
VIDEO
SEGMENT #3
Ruth
Byrne
Charlie
Sands
Tim
Coury
I
WANT TO THANK THE SANDS AND COURY FAMILIES FOR ALL THEY HAVE DONE TO HELP
BUILD GLENDALE’S LEGACY OF SUCCESS IN OUR CITY’S EARLY
YEARS, AND FOR MAKING THEIR
LAND AVAILABLE IN RECENT YEARS FOR BOTH DEVELOPMENT AND HISTORIC
PRESERVATION.
AND
I WANT TO THANK RUTH BYRNE FOR BEING OUR COMPASS --- KEEPING US EVER
MINDFUL AND RESPECTFUL OF OUR RICH HISTORY AND HERITAGE AS WE MOVE
FORWARD. HER PROMINENCE
IN GLENDALE IS DEMONSTRATED BY THE AWARD NAMED FOR HER WHICH IS GIVEN
ANNUALLY TO A PERSON OR PROJECT THAT HELPS PRESERVE OUR CITY’S HISTORY.
NOW
I WOULD LIKE TO TELL YOU ABOUT THE CITY COUNCIL’S NUMBER ONE INITIATIVE
FOR 2008. IT CAME BY
UNANIMOUS DIRECTION DEVELOPED AT OUR RECENT BUDGET AND GOAL SETTING
RETREAT.
OUR
TOP PRIORITY IS TO BEGIN A COMPREHENSIVE ANALYSIS OF OUR GLENDALE AVENUE
CORRIDOR --- NOT JUST OUR DOWNTOWN BUT OUR NAMESAKE STREET FROM 43rd TO
67th AVENUES.
OUR
CITY MANAGER HAS ASSURED ME THAT THIS PROCESS WILL BEGIN BY THE END OF
MARCH. IT WILL BE ACCOMPLISHED WITH THE HELP OF REDEVELOPMENT
CONSULTANTS AND EXTENSIVE INPUT FROM OUR RESIDENTS AND BUSINESSES.
ALTHOUGH
OUR CITY CENTER MASTER PLAN IS FAIRLY RECENT, TRENDS HAVE EMERGED THAT
MAKE IT PRUDENT FOR US TO RE-ASSESS STRATEGIES, CHALLENGES, AND
OPPORTUNITIES.
WE
WILL REVIEW OUR DESIGN GUIDELINES TO DETERMINE WHICH WILL TAKE US IN THE
RIGHT DIRECTIONS AND CHANGE THOSE THAT WON’T.
WE WILL EMBARK ON A DYNAMIC PROCESS THAT WILL MAKE THE GLENDALE
AVENUE CORRIDOR APPEALING TO INVESTORS WHO WILL BRING IN THE TYPES OF
DEVELOPMENT WE SEEK. AND WE WILL FORM ECONOMIC PARTNERSHIPS WITH THOSE WHO SHARE
OUR VISION.
THIS
PLANNING PROCESS IS MEANT TO BE THE FIRST STEP IN REDEVELOPMENT EFFORTS.
OUR INTENT IS THAT ACTION AND TANGIBLE RESULTS FOLLOW QUICKLY.
AND
JUST AS PAST CITY LEADERS STEPPED FORWARD WITH A PUBLIC INVESTMENT, WE
WILL DEMONSTRATE OUR RESOLVE IN THE SAME WAY.
THIS
IS THE YEAR THAT CONTRACTUAL ACTIONS WILL BE TAKEN TOWARD THE CONSTRUCTION
OF A NEW CITY COURT COMPLEX AND THE DEMOLITION OF THE FORMER DEALERSHIP ON
THE SITE AT 4701 W. GLENDALE AVENUE.
SOMETIMES
IT HAS SEEMED THIS PROJECT IS TAKING A LONG TIME GETTING GOING, BUT
ACTUALLY IT IS ON SCHEDULE AS PROGRAMMED IN OUR CITY’S CAPITAL
IMPROVEMENT PROGRAM. FACILITY DESIGN IS TAKING PLACE RIGHT NOW AND CONSTRUCTION
WILL BE GETTING UNDERWAY IN THE NEW FISCAL YEAR WHICH BEGINS ON JULY 1.
IN
TALKING ABOUT NEW PLANNING EFFORTS AND A FRESH LOOK AT OUR GLENDALE AVENUE
CORRIDOR, I WANT TO REASSURE OUR COMMUNITY THAT WE MAINTAIN THE SAME GOAL
AS STATED IN THE CITY CENTER PLAN WE ADOPTED IN 2002.
WE
ARE INTENT ON CREATING “A GREAT NEW CENTER FOR THE WEST VALLEY WHERE
OPPORTUNITIES TO BOTH LIVE AND WORK IN THE AREA ARE PROVIDED BY A DIVERSE
MIX OF BUSINESSES, NEW HIGH QUALITY RESIDENTIAL DEVELOPMENT AND
REVITALIZED NEIGHBORHOODS”.
SUSTAINABILITY
HAS BECOME A PROMINENT ELEMENT IN CIVIC CONVERSATIONS INVOLVING PLANNING,
LAND USE, AND GROWTH. ALTHOUGH
IT HAS ONLY RECENTLY BEEN GIVEN ALMOST UNIVERSAL ATTENTION, IT IS NOT A
NEW CONCEPT.
IT
IS BELIEVED THAT THERE ARE MORE THAN 300 DEFINITIONS OF
“SUSTAINABILITY”. THE
MOST COMMON COMES FROM THE 1987 LANDMARK UNITED NATIONS REPORT TITLED,
“OUR COMMON FUTURE”. IT
DEFINES SUSTAINABILITY AS “MEETING THE NEEDS OF PRESENT GENERATIONS
WHILE NOT COMPROMISING THE ABILITY OF FUTURE GENERATIONS TO MEET THEIR OWN
NEEDS”.
A
THOUGHTFUL DISCUSSION OF SUSTAINABILITY BY ROB MELNICK AND RICK HEFFERNON
OF THE MORRISON INSTITUTE FOR PUBLIC POLICY APPEARED IN THE
JANUARY
6 VIEWPOINTS SECTION OF THE ARIZONA REPUBLIC.
THE
AUTHORS STATED THAT, “OUR ABILITY TO EXIST TOGETHER OVER THE LONG TERM
REQUIRES THAT WE PROTECT AND IMPROVE OUR ECONOMY, COMMUNITY AND
ENVIRONMENT. WE DON’T FAVOR ONE TO THE DETRIMENT OF OTHERS.”
TODAY’S
REFLECTIONS ON GLENDALE’S HISTORY SHOW THAT THOSE WHO LED OUR CITY’S
DEVELOPMENT AND PROGRESS DID THEIR BEST TO BUILD A COMMUNITY FOR
GENERATIONS TO COME.
IT
IS NOW OUR RESPONSIBILITY.
IT
TOOK ALL STAKEHOLDERS WORKING TOGETHER TO GET US TO WHERE GLENDALE IS
TODAY. BUSINESSES OF ALL
SIZES AND TYPES --- SMALL, MEDIUM, AND LARGE;
SOLE PROPRIETORSHIPS; INDEPENDENTS; FRANCHISES; CORPORATIONS ALL
CONTRIBUTED ---- AS DID OUR EDUCATION, MEDICAL, FINANCIAL, DEVELOPMENT,
AND SOCIAL SERVICE COMMUNITIES; OUR
RESIDENTS; AND OUR VALUED CHAMBER OF COMMERCE WHICH HAS BEEN SERVING
GLENDALE SINCE 1927. ALL ARE PART OF OUR LEGACY OF SUCCESS.
NOW I INVITE
ALL STAKEHOLDERS TO JOIN WITH US AGAIN.
WE NEED TO WORK TOGETHER TO
RECOGNIZE AND ADDRESS THE NEEDS OF OUR ECONOMY, SOCIETY, AND ENVIRONMENT
SO THAT WE CAN REACH DECISIONS THAT ACHIEVE AN EQUITABLE BALANCE AMONG
ALL.
OUR
CITY COUNCIL INITIATIVE FOR 2008 SETS US ON THE PATH TO THE LARGEST, MOST
VITAL, AND MOST FAR-REACHING REDEVELOPMENT EFFORT EVER UNDERTAKEN IN THE
CITY OF GLENDALE. THIS
EFFORT IS NOT ONLY THE RIGHT THING TO BEGIN AT THIS TIME IN OUR HISTORY
---- IT IS IMPERATIVE THAT WE START IT NOW.
IN
REVIEWING PAST YEARS’ MESSAGES TO PREPARE FOR TODAY, I FOUND A SECTION
FROM 2005 THAT I THINK IS ESPECIALLY RELEVANT.
AT
THAT CHAMBER EVENT I PRESENTED THE FOLLOWING ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT GOALS
THAT I BELIEVED GLENDALE WOULD ACCOMPLISH WITHIN
TEN YEARS.
I
SAID:
---
WE WILL BECOME THE EPICENTER OF THE ENTIRE VALLEY.
---
WE WILL BECOME A DESTINATION THAT HOLDS ITS OWN WITH OTHER VALLEY CITIES
WITH UNIQUE REGIONAL ATTRACTIONS AND CULTURAL EVENTS.
---WE
WILL BECOME HOME TO MAJOR OFFICE BUILDINGS AND FULL-SERVICE HOTELS WITH
CONFERENCE FACILITIES.
---WE
WILL SEE UNPRECEDENTED REDEVELOPMENT ACTIVITY IN OUR CITY CENTER.
---GLENDALE
AVENUE WILL BE REVITALIZED AS A TRUE URBAN VILLAGE.
---WE
WILL CONTINUE TO PROVIDE THE HIGHEST LEVEL OF SERVICES AND TOP-NOTCH
PUBLIC AMENITIES TO OUR BUSINESSES, RESIDENTS AND VISITORS ALIKE.
---AND,
THROUGH IT ALL, GENDALE WILL REMAIN FINANCIALLY STRONG!
I
HOPE YOU ARE AS PROUD AS I AM OF THE INCREDIBLE PROGRESS WE HAVE MADE ON
THOSE EXTREMELY AMBITIOUS GOALS IN JUST THREE YEARS.
WE
HAVE SEVEN YEARS LEFT TO ACCOMPLISH THE REST OF
THEM --- PLENTY OF TIME TO REALIZE UNPRECEDENTED DEVELOPMENT
ACTIVITY IN OUR CITY CENTER AND REVITALIZATION OF GLENDALE AVENUE AS A
TRUE URBAN VILLAGE.
AS
ALWAYS, WE INVITE YOU TO BECOME AN ACTIVE AND VALUED PARTICPANT IN OUR
CITY’S POLICY DECISIONS. WE
THANK YOU FOR THE INVESTMENTS YOU HAVE ALREADY MADE IN GLENDALE.
AND WE ENCOURAGE YOU TO CONSIDER NEW PARTNERSHIPS WITH US TO HELP
US FOR CONTINUE OUR
LEGACY OF SUCCESS --- ACHIEVE OUR VISION FOR THE FUTURE AND CREATE
GLENDALE’S BEST POSSIBLE FUTURE.
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