Mayor Charles Meeker gave the State of the City address today, from a conference room in the Raleigh Convention Center. The mayor encouraged city staff and citizens to see the recession (which officially hit Raleigh in September) as an opportunity to look at the big picture and plan for the future. Both the new convention center and the reopening of Fayetteville Street were planned during recession in 2002, and he used them as examples. “We can’t rely on others to make this a great city, we have to do it ourselves.”
Mr. Meeker emphasized four key areas to focus on this year:
Comprehensive Plan - Meeker will ask the city council to start implementing it this summer and fall, since many of the steps are regulatory and don’t require funding.
Transit - 73 new buses and one rail line are planned for the next 3 years.
Water Conservation - Water conservation is still a priority even though supply has been enhanced. Conservation is tricky to encourage, however, because water sales are a source of city funding and city council members don’t want to raise rates for their constituents. Raleigh has the second lowest water rates in the state.
Dix Hill Park - The last few patients are scheduled to be relocated this spring or summer, and NC’s new governor is behind the park proposal, so a serious plan is needed to make the property a recreation amenity for the public instead of more state offices.
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