State of the City of Huntington

Thursday, February 14, 2002

In accordance with Article II Section 1 of the City Charter, I am here to report to Council on the state of the City.  Also, I am providing each of you with a copy of my proposed budget for Fiscal Year 2002-2003.

The year 2001 was a tumultuous year not just for our community, but for persons throughout West Virginia and the world. Huntingtonians and people throughout the Tri-State responded.

In early summer, south central West Virginia was hit with flash floods that left many within communities shelterless, waterless, homes full of mud and debris, and streets and roads eroded away. The people of Huntington and its surrounding area responded with various relief efforts that raised thousands of dollars and thousands of pounds of much need recovery materials.

For instance, the Marine Corps League Detachment 340, with Mike Hines as Chairperson, formed a committee that set about organizing a flood relief effort for the people of Whitesville and Pineville, West Virginia. In short order the League raised over $5,000 and made contact with the folks of the respective communities to inquire as to their needs. Within a matter of days, 18 pick-up truckloads of rakes, water hoses, wheel-barrels, diapers and gloves were rolled out. Additionally, 4 truckloads of bottled water were sent. Shortly thereafter the League, in conjunction with local businessman Tom Wolfe, along with Mike Kirtner of Kindred Communications, Buddy’s Bar-B-Que, and “The DAWG” radio station loaded up and visited the area with enough food and fixings for the more than 500 National Guardsmen and residents busy cleaning up in the flood stricken area.

Another example of Huntington and the Tri-State responding to disaster is the generosity demonstrated by men, women, and children across the region as a result of the cowardly act of terrorism that struck at the heart of America’s economic and military infrastructures on September 11^th in New York City and Washington, D.C.

Immediately following the bombing, The American Red Cross put out a call for disaster assistance. Between September 11^th and the end of the month over 500 Tri-State citizens made it a point to visit the Western West Virginia Chapter of the American Red Cross and donated over 500 pints of blood as well as $205,000 to disaster relief efforts. Considering that for every pint of blood donated three different products are synthesized, that figure represents a total of 1500 people assisted through blood donating activities only. Of those 500 people, 300 of them were first time donors. Additionally, the area sent 15 trained Disaster volunteers to New York and Washington. The Chapters emergency response vehicle was dispatched to Ground Zero and has yet to return.

The Huntington Professional Fire Fighters Association - IAFF Chapter 289 hit the streets, literally and figuratively, to raise over $60,000 for the disaster relief fund benefiting the families of victim and survivors of the World Trade Center disaster with their “Fill the Boot” campaign. The Huntington Fire and Police Department, along with other Federal, State, and local agencies initiated and established the Cabell/Wayne Homeland Security Committee, which meets monthly, to review and established response protocols should such protocols be needed again in the future.Again, the local Marine Corps League Detachment organized a fundraising and material gathering campaign that raised $10,000 for the Navy-Marine Relief and Army Relief Funds for victims and survivors of the Pentagon suicide bombing.

The Salvation Army acted as a gathering point for materials to be forwarded to relief efforts. Their efforts, and efforts of citizens throughout Huntington and the Tri-State, generated truckloads of clothing, water, medicinal supplies, food, and tools for clean-up operations at Ground Zero in New York. During the flood relief efforts,

the Salvation Army sent twenty-eight volunteers who worked some 475 hours. They took with them a tractor-trailer load of supplies, meals, gallons of water, personal care kits, and cleaning supplies.

These are just a few examples of how our region responded to the needs of others. We can all be proud.

But relief was not just limited to natural disasters and terrorist acts of war, 2001 found the City struggling with multi-million dollar budget deficits. Several groups and individuals organized various events to lend a helping hand. For example, Mike Garrison at Eagle Distributing and the local bar owners association organized a community carnival fundraiser and donated all proceeds to the community, the City’s local ASFME union joined forces with the Southwest District Labor Council and The Wild Dawg Saloon and staged several benefit concerts, and VFW Post 9738 in Guyandotte donated one evenings’ worth of bingo profits to the municipality. These are just a few of the ways folks have gone above and beyond to help this community and I thank them.

In 2001 the Huntington Regional Chamber of Commerce offered and formed a volunteer group of business and industry leaders to undertake the task of reviewing  various ways in which the City of Huntington conducts business. Huntington Forward, as the group is called, visited Bridgeport, Connecticut to examine some of the methods and changes that community implemented to pull themselves out of budget deficits. I want to thank Huey Perry and all of the other  members of Huntington Forward for their time and efforts on behalf of Huntington. 

Another group I would like to thank is the telecommunications committee that meets periodically. Their volunteer efforts have been focused on finding donations to keep City Council meetings televised on Adelphia public access channel 24. I am grateful for their efforts.

2001 found this Administration grappling with an approximate $2.5 million deficit.

A combination of spiraling medical expenses incurred to the City’s self-insured medical insurance program and stacks of old unpaid bills were some of the factors in a ballooning of the City’s debt. Several steps were initiated to get a grip on expenses. Purchasing freezes, budget cutting, personnel cutbacks, and careful monitoring by each City department and division helped get the amount the City owed vendors for past  purchases significantly reduced, back payments to medical expenses owed to our insurance administrator made, and installments to the pension funds increased. Jack Thornburgh, Bob Wilhelm and the finance department have been working wonders while managing your money.

City Council passed a one-time surcharge on municipal fees that will expire on June 30, 2002. All of these things helped, but did not solve the budget crisis this community has been operating under for some period of time.

The judges’ recent order requiring the City to make an additional $1.5 million in payments to the pension funds before June 30^th has again placed a significant burden upon this municipality. The City has done nothing any different than a majority of municipalities across the state with regard to their pension funds. The City has been making payments in the minimum amount allowed by state law in order to continue to provide the high level of services citizens demand. This was an option taken years ago probably with the understanding the one day in the future it would pose a major problem. That day is upon us. We are working diligently to find creative ways to keep the pension funds solvent while also meeting the judges’ order.

The Council’s Finance Committee is recommending that a pension fund levy be added to the May 14^th ballot for voters to consider. It is this or an increase in some other fee(s).

I submit that any City imposed service fee should cover all the costs of operating and providing the service for which the fee was/is imposed. At present, the municipal and refuse fees generates a little over 50% of the revenue needed to operate the fire, floodwall, and sanitation departments at their current funding levels. If the municipal and refuse fees fully funded the services provided, the General Fund of the City’s budget would not need to subsidize the other 40-odd percent and funds would be available to meet our debts, cover pension payments, and provide insurance coverage for employees.

Many have called for increased diligence and collection efforts for those who still owe fees and taxes from year(s) past before fee increases are proposed. In response to that we hired two people to pursue exclusively those past amounts due and owing in the B & O tax, municipal fee, and refuse fee accounts. Since August of 2001, these two people have collected $534,000; more than ten times the average salary for people in this area. Good job Mary Beth Miller and Kissach Bias.

This effort has been successful in part because our Data Processing department has diligently worked on improving the tracking of B & O tax returns filed, tracking those business that don’t file, and tacking those that do file but do not pay the taxes owed.

Getting a handle on the health/safety issues that impact the City’s health insurance program, it was identified that the City would be better served if it had a full-time Safety and Benefits Coordinator to handle all responsibilities related to OSHA regulations, training, and programs related to the safe conduct of the many services and business that the City undertakes. City Council enacted a resolution authorizing the position and applications have been accepted and interviews undertaken. I am pleased to announce that Bill Perdue has accepted the position and will be assuming duties in the near future.

One of the primary issues facing our community early in the 21^st Century is economic development. That is, the on-going business of helping existing businesses expand, making efforts to retain the businesses we have, and the  recruiting new businesses to Huntington.  I believe the best way to do that is to fill the vacant Economic Development Director position within the City of Huntington.

Due to, in my opinion, shortsightedness on the part of City Council, the City of Huntington has been without an Economic Development Director for over a year. I cannot stress enough what a handicap it has been to the City of Huntington to not have someone out there every day seeking ways to retain and/or expand existing businesses by helping them with their needs or finding new businesses to fill in the gaps.

We must have someone on staff to administer the several programs of tools and incentives available to encourage retention and expansion of existing businesses. This community needs a central point of contact. We need someone who is answerable to the Mayor and to City Council.

In an effort to assist local businesses compete in the competitive bidding process for public contracts and services, the bidding preference for Huntington businesses was increased from three percent to six percent. It is hoped that in taking this step it will increase the number of Huntington based businesses who bid and are successfully awarded contracts to provide goods and services to this municipality. It will put more of our residents to work and keep some of our money in our city.

There are several projects currently underway that are vital to the continued concerted effort of diversifying Huntington’s economy. Many of these projects are being overseen by the Huntington Municipal Development Authority and/or the Huntington Urban Renewal Authority.

These two bodies are made up of volunteer leaders from within the business and labor communities who are lending their diverse expertise and their genuine desire to see Huntington turn its thirty-year economic downward spiral around. I want to thank each of these Authority members for their diligence and commitment to Huntington. Recently they have been severely criticized. I think unjustly. Each of these volunteers are putting forth their best efforts in good faith to aid this community and we should be doing more to support their efforts.

With that said, I present the following as an update on various projects on-going all across town I would also like to say how grateful I am for Congressman Rahall and Senators Byrd and Rockefeller for all their assistance on these and many of the other great projects they have helped us with in the past: 

Pullman Square – Much has been reported and written the Pullman Square project. Tim Rollins, lead worker on the project from its inception with Steiner+ Associates, believing in the viability of the project, formed an entity of his own called Metropolitan Partners and continues to market the project on a national scale. His faith in the project should indicate that the project is not a “white elephant” as I have heard it called by some, but rather a cornerstone upon which the revitalization of downtown may continue to be built.

As recently as the middle of January, Metropolitan Partners approached the Huntington-Ironton Empowerment Zone to request its assistance with bonding and tax incentives. The Empowerment Zone Board of Directors unanimously supported the request and the issue was forwarded to the Huntington Municipal Development Authority for its assistance in the letting of low interest bonds.

For general information, if approved and financial institutions issue the bonds, the City of Huntington is not financially obligated for the bond.

I believe that when this project is completed, thanks to the efforts of HURA, HMDA, TTA, the Greater Huntington Theater Corporation and others, citizens of Huntington will be sitting around and instead of lamenting that the Huntington Mall located in Barboursville over two decades ago, they will be grateful that we have something better.

KineticPark – Phase I of this project is nearly complete with ninety-five percent of the earth moving having been accomplished. A few more weeks of major earth moving remains to be undertaken and should be completed by the end of March.

Design is underway for the second phase which includes the installation of utilities around the site and the construction of the roadway into the area. The West Virginia Division of Highways has awarded the contract for the construction of the bridge from Route 10 onto the site. Drainage systems have been put in place with some stream remediation still needing to be completed. A new vista into our community from Interstate 64 has been opened providing travelers with a glimpse of Huntington.

The development of the commercial area of the project should commence directly with a focus toward a hotel, restaurants, and a convenience center. The Huntington Area Development Council has assumed the lead role in business recruitment.

The technology park aspect of the project already has two tenants who have announced their interest in locating in this portion of the project. Amazon.com and The American Federation of the Blind.

Related to the recruitment of potential tenants is the concept of niche marketing or clustering of related industries. The Huntington area is already home to a quietly evolving vision related industry. Alcon Surgical, located on Route 2, is a company with over 500 employees that manufacture specialty lenses that assist eye surgeons performing cataract surgery replacing natural lenses with artificial ones for the human eye.  When

coupled with the services proposed by the American Federation for the Blind, the Marshall University Medical School, and other industries or services, the makings of a cluster of eye related technology based businesses looks very doable. Perhaps this may lead to Huntington becoming a leader in the ophthalmology field.

The Herald-Dispatch recently ran a story about a local ophthalmologist who has developed tools that could assist ophthalmologists in the performance of their services. This individual requires some assistance in the development of manufacture and delivery of these inventions. The proposed Innovation Center for KineticPark could well be the vehicle that gets the ophthalmologist’s ideas from the drawing board and into production.

I want to express my appreciation to Jerry McDonald and the Huntington Area Development Council for all of their efforts in leading the search for the right tenants at KineticPark.

Old Main Corridor Redevelopment – The four block stretch of 4^th Avenue from Old Main on the campus of Marshall University to 12^th Street is an area that has the potential to be a vibrant emergence of campus life into downtown. Most universities have the synergistic relationship with the communities in which they are located. For some reason, that has not materialized in Huntington.

In December of 2001 I had preliminary meetings with some of the business and property owners in the area and have challenged them to find ways in which to connect themselves more with Marshall University. I took with me Sandra McCoy, who is volunteering her time to assist me with some economic development ideas despite the cold shoulder reception she received from City Council last spring, and Richard Dixon, Director of our Department of Development and Planning. Our purpose was threefold:

1)             To share with them a vision of what could be with their working together

2)             To share with them some of the tools and incentives the City an offer

3)             To listen to their concerns and share their vision of how to turn the area around economically

Currently, we are in the process of identifying potential funding sources for the master planning of the project.

Guyandotte Redevelopment – Phase III of the Guyandotte Neighborhood Redevelopment project was completed in 2001. The Guyandotte Streetscapes brought new curbs, sidewalks, historic lighting, street trees, and new streets to Main Street from Bridge Street south to the floodwall and from Guyan Street to the new Guyandotte Elementary School. Since 1999, $390,000 in Community Development Block Grant funds has been expended for these improvements. The Guyandotte Improvement and Historical Association has identified the neighborhood commercial district along Bridge Street as the next phase for redevelopment. A request has been made proposed in the FY 2002-2003 CDBG budget to provide a master plan for this phase of the redevelopment.

These efforts, in conjunction with the West Virginia DOH projects on Merrits Creek, Little Seven Mile, and Route 2 and Guyandotte is in a poised on the cutting edge of a double-edged sword of improved traffic flow. Businesses may benefit from increased traffic counts, but also it may suffer from traffic congestion.

The appearance of “Beautiful Downtown Guyandotte” will be the first impression many people view of Huntington as they enter the community from the east. The project has had a tremendous impact already. It will be up to the efforts of the residents and businesses to fully realize the redevelopment potential. I think all of the elements are there for the neighborhood to be revitalized. Let us commit ourselves to making it work.

Commerce Park  - The Commerce Park project in the west end of Huntington,between Piedmont and James River Road, is on schedule for development office complex for the State of West Virginia. The State has also awarded the contract for the construction of the office building and work is scheduled to begin in several weeks.

In the January 14 Council meeting, Council approved the entering into right-of-way agreements between the City and the West Virginia Department of Transportation for the construction of an access bridge and road over the ponding basin. The Division of Highways has completed the design of the access roadway and bridge to the site to be constructed from Madison Avenue. This work will start in a few weeks.

Krauts Creek Update – Led by the efforts of the US Army Corps of Engineers, with funding assistance from Congressman Rahall and others, a project to alleviate the flooding problems in the Krauts Creek area of Westmoreland should soon be underway. Details have been worked out with various utilities in the project area for relocation and right-of-way acquisition should begin shortly. Construction is anticipated to begin in late Spring this year.

Hal Greer Boulevard – Hal Greer Boulevard is one of the busiest arterials in the City with it being the main entrance into Huntington from the Interstate, students attending Marshall University, and Cabell Huntington Hospital patients traveling it at all hours. The widening of Hal Greer has been in the transportation master plan for this region for several decades. It is finally coming to fruition. Utilities are currently being relocated and the Division of Highways has completed right-of-way acquisitions and will advertise for a construction contract this spring. Work is anticipated to begin sometime during 2002.

Huntington also had its share of good news by way of new businesses that opened. To name just a few:

In July of 2001 5/3 Bank announced it was going to invest in downtown by opening its regional headquarter offices in the former St. James Building in the place where City National Bank was located at the corner of 10^th Street and 4^th Avenue.

Fifth/Third has $46 billion in assets and is in the Top 25 of holding companies in the country. Their renovations have mostly been completed, their offices are open, AND they created 30 good-paying positions. We are appreciative of their confidence in our downtown and their investment in our community. Additionally, I want to express our appreciation to Fifth Third management in hammering out the details in extending a Letter of Credit to the City of Huntington to assist us with the Workers Compensation fund issue.

Also in July of 2001 an exciting new concept hit downtown. With the opening of the Marshall Hall of Fame Café an establishment was opened that combined food, entertainment, retail, and Marshall University. I believe that is a winning formula and that downtown is a more vibrant place because of its being there. I look forward to many great years of this business being there.

Civic Arena – Amusement Business named the Huntington Civic Arena the 14^th best venue in its capacity size (5,001 – 10,000) in the country based on attendance from December 2000 through November 2001. Congratulations are in order to SMG for working to bring in acts that the public wants to see and to Civic Arena Director Pete Wenzel for the recognition. It is my hope that similar efforts will propel the Huntington Civic Arena further up the list and, quite selfishly, will reduce the need for the General Fund to subsidize losses in the maintenance and operation of the facility.

But that time has not yet happened. City Council recently approved a budget revision of over $200,000 to the Civic Arena. While this is a significant amount of funds, and the harbingers of doom and gloom are crying out to close the doors, this will not happen on our watch. The Huntington Civic Arena is vital to our downtown, it is vital to the quality of life of all Tri-State citizens, and is a vital link to many of our downtown businesses who reap a needed boost to their sales on event days and evenings.

At present we are exploring the possibility of leasing naming rights on the facility and we have several good leads. While this may not solve all of the difficulties in meeting operating costs, it is a start. It is not a new concept, having been done in facilities across the country, but it is new for Huntington.

Of vital concern to our citizens is the manner and method that this municipality provides services to our residents. Primary to those concerns are our emergency response teams at the Huntington Police and Huntington Fire Departments. These departments are staffed with dedicated professionals. Each department in 2001 was forced to make deep cuts in their operating budgets. Personnel numbers were reduced in each division, equipment replacement was put on hold, and maintenance of aging equipment was necessarily increased.

I appreciate the efforts of Chief Ramey, Chief Fuller, and their staffs for implementing the required budget cuts and working strenuously to maintain the professionalism that permeates each department.

The Huntington police force was reduced in number by 12. It has NOT had a corresponding reduction in its responsibilities, and in a couple of areas, has seen a significant increase in obligations.One of those increased obligations is an increased presence on Interstate 64. In the past few months there have been seven fatalities on the stretch of Interstate from our corporate limits to the Village of Barboursville corporate limits.

To resolve the safety issue, several suggestions have been made ranging from the construction of an additional lane both east and westbound and/or the placement of concrete barricades to divide the traffic lanes to deter the crossing over of traffic. The West Virginia Department of Transportation is in the process of studying the stretch of highway with a critical eye to reducing traffic fatalities.

Speed is the number one contributing factor in most crashes. The seriousness of any crash is compounded dramatically with every mile per hour. The City Council and I have called for an immediate reduction in the posted speed limit of I-64. The Safe Traffic Operations Program has made immediate contact with the Governor’s Highway Safety Office, as well as the National Highway Safety Office, requesting funding assistance in dedicating an officer for I-64 patrol duty. Things look favorable and we should know more within a few weeks.

I want to express this community’s gratitude to our House Delegates and State Senators for their prompt action in calling this to the attention of the appropriate state offices, legislative committees, and the Governor requests and legislation that will positively impact the timelines and funding for remedial action on I-64.

In the interim, I am calling upon on citizens of Huntington to drive responsibly, especially when on I-64. Drive defensively, reduce your speed, and wear your safety belts.

The Huntington Fire Department is gearing up for the replacement of the St. Cloud’s Fire Station. This station has been in service to the community for many decades. It has been in service, and the windowsills attest to this with teeth marks, since the time the department utilized horses to draw the pump wagons and hoses to fire scenes. It is small and cramped and in serious need of replacement.  Steps are being taken to plan for the construction of a modern fire station to house the fire fighters and their equipment in the same general vicinity. 

The Huntington Fire Department is well trained and proactive in its approach to preparedness. Already utilizing the model incident command protocol that postures the department for organized responses to real and perceived threats, following the September 11^th terrorist attack on this country, the department has assumed a leadership role in the development of effective response protocols that enable them to interface with other area emergency service providers, law enforcement and health care providers.

Huntington enjoys one of only a few Class II ratings for fire departments in the State of West Virginia. Without this Class II rating, our property owners would be experiencing higher insurance premiums for their homes and businesses. Any reduction in manpower, equipment, or response preparedness may jeopardize that rating.

I submit that in order to keep this vital City service strong, that ways must be found to maintain full funding of the department. As it is, the Municipal Fee does not fully cover the cost of providing the level of fire services the department provides, with its Class II rating, our citizens have come to expect and deserve. We must creatively seek solutions to the funding problem, or reduce the level of service we provide, thereby relinquishing the Class II rating we have worked so diligently over the past decades to build. Relinquishing this rating would be felt in every property owner’s pocket.

I believe the choices are clear, either increase the municipal fee at some near point in the future in order to fully cover the costs of the fire protection service we provide, or scale back on the service and allow property owners to assume the financial burden of increased insurance premiums. 

An item of considerable concern to me, and to many of the citizens who have stopped in to see me or called on the telephone, is the need for improved trash collections.

This should NOT be confused with refuse collection. Refuse collection is the weekly service that residents receive to remove their household garbage. Our crews work five days a week EVERY week to pick up refuse. Rain, snow or bitter cold, they are on the streets picking up our household wastes. They do a good job a vast majority of the time and I want to take this opportunity to thank them for their efforts.

Trash collection is the collection of materials residents set out assuming it is a part of regular service. It is the sofas, chairs, mattresses, and boxes full of closet, attic, and garage castoffs. It is the piles of stuff dumped illegally by citizens and out-of-state peoples alike in the dark alleys and out of the way places across the City that make some areas of the community look like a slum and blighted mess.

Due to cutbacks and cost saving steps initiated to pull this community out of a $2.5 million deficit, special collection services was temporarily suspended. Unfortunately, a trash collection crew is not currently funded. This has led to an increase in the number of unsightly piles scattered throughout the community.

One of our Council members has taken it upon himself to try and clean up some of these messes. For that I would like to thank Councilman Thompson for his efforts. In a recent news story it was reported that he has spent approximately $80,000 in equipment, personnel, and disposal.

This should serve notice to all residents of the City that it is quite an expensive undertaking, that our refuse fees do not cover the entire costs of providing removal service to our customers, and the only tangible way to keep this community clean is to dedicate more resources (manpower and funding) to put a crew in the field all year round.

Additionally, an enforcement arm is needed to follow up and lean on those who are dumping items illegally, and ignoring the maintenance needs of their own properties. Citizens can help by reporting illegal dumping, either the names of offenders, if known, or license numbers of vehicles seen in the act.  Do not personally

confront these individuals. Report them. Be willing to stand up in a court of law and say, “I saw this...”, whatever “this” is. As in the movie The China Syndrome, we must collectively throw up our windows and say, “I’m mad as hell and I’m not going to take it anymore.”

Looking around and seeing what else needs to be done to improve this community’s position as we struggle with a new economy and declining population figures, one finds of vital importance to the continued growth and diversification of the region and state’s economy is the need for the Regional Airport.  At a historic meeting held in Huntington in December, the West Virginia Port Authority voted to build a regional airport midway between Huntington and Charleston in Lincoln County.

This was the first of three build/no build votes that must be faced if the project is to come to fruition. On January 15^th, Governor Wise weighed in on the issue with his full support of the project development. He was exactly right when he said that we must not look to short-term gain, but rather must look to where we want West Virginia to be ten to twenty years from now. The job potential is great, the infrastructure improvements necessary, and the retooling of the regions economy vital to the success of our state in providing quality jobs for our young people. I have been on record for over a year that Huntington supports this quintessential need for our region. I have not wavered. I believe three things about the airport:

1)             It is a key to the future economic vitality of our region and state,

2)             It needs to be built midway between Huntington and Charleston to capitalize on the combined strength of the two metropolitan statistical areas rather than one, and

3)             That the airport would serve not just central West Virginia, but also southern West Virginia, eastern Kentucky, and southern Ohio.

Why should we care about eastern Kentucky and southern Ohio needs? I submit that it will be the out-of-state influx of revenue that will make the project more viable, as well as replace some of the dollars that extractive industries take from our state every year. Instead of your only dollar rolling over seven times in the local economy alone, someone else’s will join it.

A host of organizations, businesses, and industries have openly stated their supportof this project and cited its importance. The most recent being CSX Transportation, the Air Traffic Controllers Association at Yeager Airport, and just this week, Special Metals, Inc.  I reiterate, this project must move forward if this State, this region, and this community are to compete in the global economy of the 21^st Century.

As I speak to you this afternoon, the Winter Olympics have assumed center stage before the world as an example of peaceful coexistence, competition, and sportsmanship. On December 18^th, 2001 Huntington assumed and shared center stage briefly as it  hosted for the first time the Olympic Torch Relay. Some have argued it was not the first time the Torch visited Huntington. Unless one counts a drive-by on the interstate as a visit, the procession of runners carrying the Torch through our neighborhoods was the first time the Torch was IN Huntington.

Forty Torchbearers from throughout the region were honored by being named Torchbearers for the Relay. They represented all walks of life. Highlawn Elementary teacher Clara “T.C.” Clemons had the distinct honor of lighting the Olympic Cauldron at Harris Riverfront Park. For those of you who may have missed it, the air was charged with excitement and one I doubt those gathered will soon forget. I want to express appreciation to the HuntingtonWorks! Committee who bankrolled much of the activities, the Antioch Missionary Baptist Church Ensemble who performed several numbers, and the combined forces of the Huntington High, Cabell Midland, and Spring Valley High School marching bands who greeted the Olympic Flame as it entered the Park.

Also, a huge public thanks to Clint McElroy and Larry Kendall for their super efforts in filling time when the Torch fell behind its planned schedule. The Olympic Flame’s visit to Huntington was a milestone for the community and we are proud to have participated in the largest Olympic Torch Relay in history.

At my State of the City last year I announced my interest in listening to and acting upon the issues important to the young people of Huntington. During the past eight months I or my staff have met with more than forty youth serving agencies from across the City and Cabell County. With their generous cooperation and input from area teenagers, a Youth Council was created in September of 2001.

I want to express my appreciation to Tim White and Ty Holmes of the Huntington Housing Authority, John Pinkerman at the Tri-State Boy Scout Council, and members of my staff for facilitating those meetings.

The officers of the Youth Council are: Randy Pleasant, Brian Walls, Quenlan Pleasant and Simone Dawson. These teens have learned a valuable lesson already; that in order to bring about change, one must be a part of the process. I thank and congratulate them for their time and efforts.

The Youth Council will continue to meet throughout the coming year to help our youth serving agencies better understand the needs of the 12-18 year old and how recreation opportunities need to energize and creatively challenge that age group

Also in response to community demands, in January of this year I instituted Open House hours wherein the general population is invited to take time out of their busy schedules to stop in and visit with me. Every possible Wednesday, between the hours of 4 and 7pm my doors are open to discuss whatever municipal issue is on our residents minds. This is an opportunity for folks to share their concerns and ideas for the improvement of this community and I invite everyone to come down and visit me, even if you have a complaint come by and feel free to express it. We in Huntington are very proud of our community. It is this pride in community that led me to fall in love with our city and assisted me in deciding to run for mayor.

However, with so many past mistakes we are also a very cynical community. Soon we will see the day that Pullman Square makes us grateful that the Mall was not located downtown and that KineticPark illustrates that maybe it wasn’t such a bad idea to locate the interstate on the fringes of the City.

Huntington is on the threshold of a major transformation. Many from outside the community have enough faith in Huntington to invest their hard earned dollars here. They recognize our potential, even when some within the community do not. Certainly if others outside of our community have faith, our residents should renew theirs.

So far we have had a rough road, and the immediate road ahead may have its share of bumps as well. But when we work our way through those bumps there will be no turning back. As a community, I believe we are in a better position today than we were one year ago. I also believe that we will be better off one year from now than we are today.