Mayor's Blog

Sustainability Coordinator Set to Provide Update to City Council

Dan Coody — Tue, 18 Mar 2008 19:59:12 +0000

While we are all waiting for the next great energy source like hydrogen and renewables to supplant oil and coal, there are things that the individual can accomplish now with regards to resource efficiency. In fact, one primary focus of the broader sustainability discussion is efficiency, which in many instances points to the bottom line and leads directly to cost savings. We’re seeing evidence of that right here at City Hall. (more…)

Energy Efficient Construction

Dan Coody — Wed, 27 Feb 2008 16:33:44 +0000

Commercial and residential buildings consume the vast majority of energy in the United States, including Fayetteville As energy costs continue to rise the owners of these buildings will be hit the hardest. The uncertainty of future energy costs is reflected in a recent decision by Citigroup, J.P. Morgan Chase, and Morgan Stanley to only provide debt financing to new power plants if their economic viability can be proven under future climate change policies.

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National Wear Red Day

Dan Coody — Fri, 01 Feb 2008 22:02:04 +0000

Today, February 1st, is the American Heart Association National Wear Red Day. City employees were invited to participate and donate $5 or more and wear their favorite article of red clothing. Employees who participated were given a sticker to wear to show they “take heart” in heart health. Many people don’t know that heart disease is the No. 1 killer of men and women, and even those that do often are not aware of what they can do to prevent it. Wear Red Day is one way to raise awareness and show our commitment to the fight against heart disease.

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State of the City 2008

Dan Coody — Tue, 15 Jan 2008 22:29:43 +0000

I bring to you tonight the State of the City 2008 address. But I want to discuss with the Council and the public more than just the work that has been accomplished for 2007. After an abbreviated recounting of the some of the work that has been done, and is being done, I want to talk about some issues we are facing that must become a point of focus for ourselves and the community for 2008 and beyond. (more…)

Saying Goodbye

Dan Coody — Thu, 10 Jan 2008 15:35:20 +0000

Kirby L. Estes

(November 28, 1937 - January 4, 2008)

Long time Fayetteville resident Kirby Estes served as Poet Laureate of Fayetteville from April 2006 to April 2007.

Fayetteville’s current Poet Laureate Clayton Scott succeeded him in that roll. Kirby Estes was a prolific writer and poet and a frequent contributor to Poesia magazine and penned a number of articles for Poesia News. He used his term to repeatedly remind others of the importance of poetry in our lives and encourage the frequent use of poetry in our schools. In 2005 he was the recipient of an award of distinction from the International Association of Paradoxism for his essays on the subject.

Traveling and Learning

Dan Coody — Tue, 08 Jan 2008 19:17:58 +0000

For the better part of the last two months I have traveled numerous places championing the many attributes of Fayetteville and learning from local, national and international leaders on how we can improve as a community. (more…)

West Avenue Road Work Complete

Dan Coody — Thu, 20 Sep 2007 19:02:20 +0000

Mayor Dan Coody celebrates the completion of West Avenue road work at a ribbon cutting ceremony on September 19 with Chamber of Commerce representatives Bootsie Ackerman (far left) and Virgil Neuroth (far right) and City Staff (left to right) Gary Dumas, Ron Petrie, Terry Gulley, and Kieth Shreve

Yesterday I was joined by the Chamber of Commerce and City Representatives from the Transportation, Water & Sewer and Engineering Divisions in the celebration of the completion of another important street project for the City of Fayetteville. This was an in-house project completed by the Water and Transportation divisions. There were a few challenges along the way with this particular project, but the crews and supervisors did a fine job in overcoming those challenges. They were able to effectively complete a high-quality project that improved not just the road surface, but also water lines, curbs, sidewalks, and ADA accessibility.

With the completion of this and other recent projects such as California Drive, the City is well on its way to meeting 2007 goals for 20,000 feet of new sidewalk and 20 miles of street overlay. In fact, year to date we’ve hit just under 10,000 feet of sidewalk and 13.85 miles of overlay. With productivity increasing significantly in the later half of the year (because of spring weather conditions), our crews should hit those targets with ease.

Update Report on Council’s Top Six Priorities

Dan Coody — Tue, 11 Sep 2007 20:05:39 +0000

At the Agenda Setting meeting tonight, the Fayetteville City Council will receive a memo from staff that provides a comprehensive update on actions taken to achieve the City Council’s top six priorities as outlined by the Council during a planning session in June of this year. In order of priority the top six lists includes: affordable housing, water and sewer impact fees, road impact fees, water and sewer rate adjustments, economic development and senior day care facility. Staff has been diligently working to achieve these priorities while also managing the two largest infrastructure projects in the history of the City and performing their day-to-day responsibilities and duties. Over the last several years we’ve been able to assemble to superior team here at City Hall, and I think their excellence is reflected in their dedicated service and widespread achievements. You can view the memo (Policy Priority Update) to see exactly what staff has achieved to date in repsonse to Council’s top policy priorities for 2007.

Fayetteville Cuts the Ribbon on Fire Station #5

Dan Coody — Fri, 31 Aug 2007 16:57:09 +0000

Fayetteville City Council members Brenda Thiel (Ward 1) and Bobby Ferrell (Ward 3) join me, State Representative Marilyn Edwards, and State Senator Sue Madison as we celebrate the opening of Fire Station #5 with Fire Chief Tony Johnson, Assistant Fire Chief Chris Lynch, and several Fayetteville Firefighters at a ribbon cutting ceremony on August 22, 2007. Read more about Fire Station #5.

The Infrastructure Squeeze

Dan Coody — Mon, 20 Aug 2007 21:44:47 +0000

Last year during the 2006 US Conference of Mayors in Las Vegas, NV, I introduced a resolution requesting an increased Federal role in the assessment, development, and financing of critical national infrastructure (Resolution PDF). After contemplating our nation’s financial priorities and juxtaposing that with a comprehensive report card for America’s infrastructure developed by the American Society of Civil Engineers (www.asce.org), I was determined to bring this issue to the table for Mayors from all across the country to consider. Not only was the average grade a “D,” or poor, for all the nation’s infrastructure including aviation, bridges, dams, drinking water, energy, hazardous waste, navigable waterways, public parks and recreation, rail, roads, schools, security, solid waste, transit and wastewater (click here for Arkansas summary report), but the estimates for maintaining that “D” average (not improving, just maintaining) exceed existing revenue streams at all levels of government. Moreover, the Federal government continues to hand down mandates related to maintaining and expanding infrastructure but fail to provide the funding necessary to successfully respond to those mandates. This is creating a squeeze on local government budgets, and we’ve been feeling that squeeze for some time in Fayetteville.

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Conservation, not Coal

Dan Coody — Thu, 09 Aug 2007 19:53:18 +0000

Currently, I’m traveling across the country to learn what cities like Chapel Hill and Asheville, North Carolina are doing to address some of the very same issues we are facing in Fayetteville such as affordable housing and energy conservation. I am looking forward to sharing this information with the City Council and my staff when I return next week because there are some really exciting projects and programs underway in cities all across the country – particularly in the realm of sustainability. But as excited as I am about these initiatives, I am equally discouraged by an initiative in our own backyard. (more…)

The Fiscal Sanity of Saving Planet Earth

Dan Coody — Tue, 17 Jul 2007 21:28:37 +0000

Council Members Lioneld Jordan, Adella Gray, Brenda Thiel and Mayor Dan Coody at the 2007 ICLEI Conference in Fayetteville, AR.

On Saturday July 14, 2007 the Northwest Arkansas Times published an editorial which I co-wrote with Michelle Wyman, Executive Director of ICLEI-Local Governments for Sustainability. The column highlighted the sustainability conference held in Fayetteville last week. This was truly an amazing event, and I can assure you that many folks left with a new and improved impression of the State of Arkansas and a true appreciation for the progressive, sustainable city into which Fayetteville has grown. In case you missed the column, I have pasted a copy below. Also, the Fayetteville Government Channel will be airing many of the conference sessions, keynote addresses, and workshops, and you can purchase a DVD copy of any of these programs from the government channel.

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Summer of Sustainability: City wins climate protection award

Dan Coody — Tue, 10 Jul 2007 16:04:23 +0000

We should proclaim this the Summer of Sustainability in Fayetteville. We have received a very prestigious award; we are hosting an international conference on climate change; we are already seeing evidence of energy savings resulting from minor behavior modifications among city employees and major changes such as the transition to bio-diesel.

Fayetteville is charting a course to become a truly sustainable city. When John Coleman came on board in May as the new sustainability coordinator - the first position of its kind in the state of Arkansas - I knew that the City would begin to make real progress in our efforts to reduce our carbon footprint as an organization, minimize our impact on climate change, and become a role model for other cities, organizations, and individuals looking to implement more sustainable practices. I just didn’t know we would make so much progress so quickly, and I never expected us to receive the national and international recognition as a leader in the sustainability movement. Many of you may already know that last month as I was attending the US Conference of Mayors (USCM) annual meeting in Los Angeles, CA, the City of Fayetteville was honored with a significant award: the City won first place in the small cities category for the very first Mayors’ Climate Protection Award sponsored by the USCM and Wal-Mart. (more…)

Energy Saving Behaviors at the City: Mandatory

Dan Coody — Tue, 12 Jun 2007 16:48:22 +0000

Fayetteville’s City Government is responsible for approximately 30,000 tons of greenhouse gases emitted into the atmosphere in 2006 with an expected growth rate of 8 percent per year. Emitting these gases cost the City $1.9 million in the form of utility expenses, $881,000 in fuel consumption and untold costs in waste management. In light of these facts, I issued a memo to all City of Fayetteville employees last week mandating the following behavior changes to reduce energy consumption:

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City Encourages Alternative Transportation Options, Opts for Fuel Efficiency in City Fleet

Dan Coody — Fri, 01 Jun 2007 21:42:45 +0000

The peak travel season is upon us, and many of you are busy making your summer vacation plans. If you are like me, the cost of fuel has become a much larger budget consideration than in years past. As much as I would like to hope that we’ll see some relief at the pump, I believe high gas prices are here to stay. With steady demand nationally, increasing demand internationally, and myriad supply issues related to capacity and security, we should expect prices to continue to ratchet up. Some forecasters are even suggesting we brace ourselves for $4.00/gallon prices. I can’t predict how high prices will reach this summer, but I can tell you that the new fuel reality is changing the way we do business at City Hall.

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Transportation Improvement Plan: Construction Underway

Dan Coody — Tue, 29 May 2007 22:39:57 +0000

In September 2006, City of Fayetteville voters passed a sales tax bond election in part to fund $68 million in transportation improvements, and today we broke ground on the first of fourteen projects. While the design phase for each project is underway, the Wilson Park and Washington-Willow Traffic Calming Project is the first to reach construction phase. And the good news is the project came in 40% under estimate. The project includes the installation of 22 speed tables and 3 landscaped islands. If you live in or travel through these neighborhoods and want to see exactly where the installations will be located, stop by the City’s Engineering Office and take a look at the map.

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Keeping Up With Public Safety Infrastructure

Dan Coody — Mon, 21 May 2007 21:39:52 +0000

The safety and well being of our citizenry depends on well-equipped and well-trained employees who are able and willing to serve and protect this community. It is my job as Mayor to make sure that we enable those public servants to do their jobs efficiently, effectively, and professionally. Keeping up our public safety infrastructure to meet the growing demands of our community is the best way to ensure that our police officers and firefighters have the resources to do their jobs and to do them well.

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Sustainability Coordinator on the Job

Dan Coody — Wed, 16 May 2007 00:24:34 +0000

Today was a very exciting day in Fayetteville as the City’s new Sustainability Coordinator, John Coleman, led the first City of Fayetteville Sustainability Team meeting. With representatives from various divisions across city government, John presented his short and long terms plans for minimizing the City’s carbon footprint and reducing energy consumption.

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Fayetteville Strives for Deeper Green

Dan Coody — Mon, 07 May 2007 22:36:49 +0000

The International Panel on Climate Change just released its latest report on the state of our environment. It has become abundantly clear everyone needs to do all we can to reduce our carbon emissions into our atmosphere if we expect to see our quality of life preserved for ourselves and for future generations.

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Welcome to our new Website

Dan Coody — Fri, 04 May 2007 21:49:07 +0000

Welcome to our new website and the Mayor’s Blog. I’ll be posting regularly to this site beginning later this week . I intend to use this space to discuss current issues that I believe will be of interest to our citizens. Check this site out again in a few days.

Thanks,

Dan