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COUNCIL MINUTES MAY 27, 2003 APPROVED 49 OPEN MIKE • 50 51 Mayor Bergeson gave a brief presentation on the State of the City, highlighting activities of various 52 City departments. He indicated that for the Public Safety department, as the city's population grows, 53 so does the number of police calls, but the number of serious crimes per 1,000 population continues 54 to be very low compared to metro area cities of similar size. That is largely due to a Community 55 Oriented Policing philosophy that has helped develop 39 Neighborhood Watch Groups. He indicated 56 the department is proactive about offering helpful information to the community and is very proud of 57 the classes and seminars they are able to provide. Some of the newer programs include self defense 58 classes for women, drug recognition classes for parents and in conjunction with Centennial Fire 59 District, a seven -week Citizens Academy for adults and a Safety Camp for children. Last year the 60 department initiated a Focus Group of residents, citizen academy graduates and business owners to 61 assist the department by providing feedback and reviewing proposed policies and programs. 62 63 Mayor Bergeson stated the Public Services department has been involved in several initiatives. First, 64 in the Parks Department, there was a city referendum in April of 2002, to ask the voters if they would 65 fund development of an athletic complex and improvements to existing parks and the trail system. 66 The answer was a disappointing, but very clear "NO." The City accepted that and turned attention 67 toward maximizing the resources available. He stated regular and seasonal employees maintain the 68 parks, and with the help of neighborhood volunteers they also develop parks. This past year, 69 Highland Meadows Park was transformed from an open field to a neighborhood gathering place with 70 a playground, half basketball court and trails. Clearwater Creek Park was landscaped and a gazebo 71 and playground equipment installed. Playground equipment damaged by vandalism at Brandywood 72 and the Woods of Baldwin Lakes was replaced. 73 74 Mayor Bergeson noted each year the City adds trails and connections to the system. Recently 75 Timberwolf Trail was completed in the northwest part of the Pheasant Hills development. It provides 76 a direct connection to the Regional Park Reserve Trail system. In the Trapper's Crossing area a 77 timber staircase and 315 feet of boardwalk were constructed to provide a trail to Birch Park. 78 79 Mayor Bergeson indicated the Public Services department also has responsibility for the streets. 80 Besides the usual snowplowing, in 2002 the Streets division patched 52 streets by hand using 1,056 81 tons of asphalt mix and applied 4,300 pounds of crack fill material. Employees also repaired 12 82 failing catch basins and installed a culvert north of Main Street. 83 84 For the utilities division, ensuring storage and delivery of potable water is the main focus. An 85 upgrade to Well #1 last year almost doubled its capacity. Equipment was also replaced at the other 86 well and at lift stations. The Spirit Hills lift station became operational, and the program to install 87 phone -read water meters continued, with 1,315 more completed last year. 88 89 Mayor Bergeson indicated that at the civic complex Public Works installed a Power Factor Correction 90 system which should decrease electric bills. He also noted that in late August staff discovered mold 91 in the civic complex. Professionals were hired to assess the extent of the problem and remove the 92 mold, with those efforts completed by mid-February. Then engineering firms tested the mechanical 93 systems and building shell to determine the cause of the problem. The final report was recently 94 issued and it was found the City had already implemented many of its recommendations for avoiding 95 future problems. 96 2