2007 State of the City

Mayor Jim Gray - July 23, 2007

Good Afternoon

What a privilege it is to deliver my first State of the City address for this amazing city. Serving as mayor in the city where I’ve lived for the past 31 years with my wife, Judi, and raised my daughter, Kristin, is quite an honor.

Roseville is ahead of its time on important fronts.As our city flourishes on many levels, we continue to enjoy a thriving economy and a quality of life second to none.

In fact take a look around. We’re in this beautifully restored and maintained theater—the largest community theater in the state of California.We can enjoy high-quality live theater productions right in our own city. Our children participate in wonderful theater classes to pursue their talents in the arts, and the theater is available for community events as well. I applaud Bob and Rose Marie Gerould, our hosts today, for their tireless dedication to the performing arts in Roseville!

My three priorities as mayor…and the staff knows them well…are green initiatives, financial stability, and transportation.

Roseville was a leader in environmental sustainability long before it was the popular thing to do.It’s great to see national media focus on the environment and what we can do individually and collectively to protect our communities. But back in 1999, when we launched our renewable energy program, the term was unfamiliar to most people.

Last fall the City Council took a major step toward a greener and more sustainable Roseville. We adopted programs to become more energy efficient, reduce greenhouse gases, and monitor our emissions.

We also formed a “Green Team.” All city departments are tracking and planning how city departments, businesses and residents can create a greener way of life.

Part of that involves changes in our daily habits, like bringing re-usable bags with us to the store. This reduces the amount of plastic bags in circulation. We have one of these bags for each of you today thanks to Raley’s and our Environmental Utilities Department.

Our utilities play a key role. Through the Green Roseville program, Roseville Electric customers can purchase clean, renewable energy for their homes or businesses. I would like to see 100 percent participation from residents and businesses in this renewable-energy program.

And in cooperation with Roseville Urban Forest Foundation, Roseville Electric provides free shade trees to customers to reduce energy use.

Roseville Electric also provides incentives to generate solar electricity. Through our BEST homes program—Blueprint for Efficiency in Solar Technology—1,150 new homes will be built with solar panels and energy efficient design.

Our Environmental Utilities department’s battery-recycling program has garnered statewide recognition. This summer, we reached the 10-ton mark of collections—that’s a lot of batteries we’ve kept out of the landfill.State agencies have noticed our program and soon state offices will have the same kind of battery-collection tubes we designed for use in our city.

In October we will open one of the cleanest burning power plants in the state. The Roseville Energy Park will meet 40 percent of our energy needs and will be a zero-liquid discharge operation. By using recycled water from the Pleasant Grove Wastewater Treatment Plant in its cooling processes there will be no discharge to our local streams.

We are working to make Roseville the location of choice for the clean technology sector.We’re talking with the Renewable Energy Institute International to build a research center near the Roseville Energy Park to study biomass, solar and wind technologies. This tremendous resource could inspire new companies to locate here.

On the transportation front, the City continues to develop innovative ways to make it easier for each of us to get around and through Roseville. The completion next month of the Antelope Creek Trail, from Berry Street/Galleria Boulevard, all the way to Rocklin will give bike commuters a straight shot between our two communities.

Several of Roseville’s more congested intersections are seeing upgrades with double or triple left-turn lanes that improve the flow of traffic—including one of our busiest intersections at Sunrise Boulevard and Cirby Way.

We have installed new technology at 78intersections throughout Roseville that allow our traffic engineers to monitor the flow of vehicles in real time and make necessary adjustments to the timing of lights. About 53 percent of the 148 signals in Roseville are coordinated with others to provide efficient traffic flow and less environmental impact.

Traffic on Interstate 80 continues to be a challenge. Some relief is in sight.State infrastructure bonds will provide matching grants to the federal dollars we secured. As we speak, Cal-Trans crews are constructing an auxiliary lane that improves eastbound traffic flow between Riverside Avenue and Douglas Boulevard.In the next two years, we will make additional improvements that will significantly improve traffic flow.

 

As we enter a new fiscal year, we are determined to maintain our City’s amazing quality of life even as the regional economy slows.With this budget we begin to shift -- from focusing on building an amazing community to ensuring long-term fiscal and resource stability. The economy is cyclical.We enjoyed the benefits of the real estate boom over the past several years, and now we are experiencing the effects of the recent slowdown.

Our challenge is to continue to accomplish amazing results without growing our budget.Cost containment measures have been implemented to reduce the overall number of vehicles and equipment costs and to hold maintenance and operational expenses to FY 2007 levels.Our departments continue to accomplish more for our growing city without growing their budgets.In fact, for the new fiscal year, which began July 1, the City as a whole will continue to maintain its superior facilities and provide its excellent services and amenities while opening new facilities, staging great events and revitalizing our downtown and historic districts.

The new Martha Riley Community Library will open this November as part of a state-of-the-art complex in West Roseville. The library is the City’s first LEED-certified building—constructed using the highest environmental standards. The complex will also house a leading-edge Roseville Utilities Exploration Center, and a high-tech public-access television studio.

We now have 55 parks, including one of the region’s few cricket fields, and we will soon break ground on a new indoor swimming pool near the Nugget Market east of Highway 65.This fall, we will begin working with the community to raise funds for one of the region’s few universal-access playgrounds to offer children of all abilities a safe and fun place to play. We intend to add more universally accessible playgrounds in the future.

In August, Fire Station 7 opens near Pleasant Grove Boulevard and Highway 65.This will help kick off a fall celebration of the Roseville Fire Department’s centennial.Festivities include a fire muster drill next month in Royer Park and a gala event on November 3rd where our Roseville Fire Department’s history video will be premiered.

The Sacramento Capitals team tennis has had a wildly successful first season in Roseville. The championships will take place at the end of July.Attendance has surpassed and the Capitals’ expectations, and we are thrilled they will return for the next four years.

The Capitols stadium shares space at the Galleria, which is undergoing extensive expansion. Nearly 100 new stores are coming, along with thousands of new parking spaces and traffic improvements to the surrounding roadways

If you’ve taken a walk around the historic district and downtown, you’ve probably noticed the many improvements underway. We’re also installing new sidewalks, undergrounding utilities, and improving the streetscape and hope to see all of you downtown for shopping and dining.

Visiting downtown will be easier with 500 new parking spaces in the city’s parking garage.The four-story garage opens in September with free parking and the Blue Line Art Gallery on street level.

Looking at what we’ve accomplished inspires us to imagine what more we could achieve.

In Roseville, we have a legacy of dreaming big. The visionary leadership shown by previous mayors and city council members has brought us the quality of life and economic success we enjoy today. And we continue to dream big.

Our region’s long-term viability relies on an educated workforce, so we will continue efforts to attract a four-year university.This would produce 10,000 jobs, and have a positive annual economic impact of $630 million.

Part of dreaming big includes this region becoming known as the world’s center for the clean technology industry. I would like businesses to clamor to be located in the Sacramento area.We are already leading the way to promote solar as a way of life. I would like for the next great ideas to solve the world’s energy needs to come from our talented students and workforce.

Our past and future as a city will be celebrated in a BIG way in 2009 as we mark our 100th anniversary.We hope to kickoff the yearlong centennial celebration by participating in the Tournament of Roses Parade. I invite you to get involved in the Centennial Committee just approved by City Council to help plan our centennial activities and make this once in a lifetime event one to remember.

We’re growing responsibly with unparalleled levels of service. We’re looking forward to maturing as a City and serving the needs of our customers. We’re dreaming big so that when our grandchildren celebrate the next milestone in our City’s history, they admire our work today to use what we need and preserve what we don’t.

I am optimistic that by dreaming big, amazing things will continue to happen. I am encouraged when I look out at all of you—my friends, my colleagues, and those I have yet to meet—because I know all of you care as much about Roseville as I do.I am honored that you joined me today, and I thank you for the privilege of serving as your Mayor.

Thank you!