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Recognizing that public parks and playgrounds are great amenities for a community,citizens continued to ask for more public parks.Habitat for Humanity donated land on Westside for a park and the city fenced the new park and built a new playground.The city has built new playgrounds at the tee ball fields,the soccer complex,and in Riverside Park. With all the downtown re-development occurring on Main Street the Strahl Family recently donated land for a downtown public park on the banks of Polk Bayou.With the help of Danny Dozier and others this newest park is nearing completion and will serve as a venue and resting area for those floating the bayou.The park will encourage those exploring the Polk Bayou to stop and partake of the restaurants,shops and other amenities offered on Main Street.The downtown pocket park on upper Main has become a popular site for everything from a local artists and farmers market to a concert or wedding reception venue. One hugely successful improvement in Riverside Park has been the introduction of the Christmas lights display.It has continued to grow each year with more than a million lights on display this past Christmas season. Tens of thousands of visitors,including some from over seventy miles away, flock to Riverside Park each Christmas season to enjoy the lights and it has become one of the premier Christmas lights displays in Arkansas.With the addition of horse drawn carriage rides and the synthetic ice-skating rink Riverside Park has become a wintertime jewel. To help address housing concerns,the city has amended zoning codes to allow smaller lots to encourage higher density and lower cost housing. It has encouraged the re-platting of existing plats into smaller lot sizes to facilitate the construction of more affordable homes.The zoning code was amended to allow zero-lot-line housing and loft apartments downtown which would encourage a mixture of commercial and residential use. Citizens wanted the city to take better care of and improve the aesthetics of the city's entryways and major corridors.To accomplish this,a new landscape department was created and charged with keeping the hundreds of acres ofpublic property and rights of way along major entryways properly mowed and maintained.In addition,the city created a"Tree Board"to inventory trees on public property and to recommend appropriate actions when tree issues arise.This effort led to Batesville being designated as a"Tree City USA"community. The suggestions surrounding street and transportation improvements included the specific recommendation of improving access to the White River Medical Center by creating a new street connection across the Mickey Mouse Pool location from 201'Street to the medical center complex to enhance safety and ease of access. This task is currently under construction. Other enhancements to our transportation system include the widening of Harrison Street between St Louis Street and Gap Road,including the addition of sidewalks on both sides,and additional improved traffic control systems at several intersections.This has created a flurry of new construction along the route. Another important transportation component is The Batesville Regional Airport that is extremely important to several of our major employers who routinely fly in and out of the airport.Recognizing that the airport was a huge asset in economic development,the city significantly increased funding to upgrade airport operations and to help meet the demand for new hangars.The airport terminal building is the first impression our city makes on all potential investors and businessmen flying into Batesville.Recognizing that you only get to make a good first impression once,the city's Airport Commission recently completed a$750,000.00 dollar remodel of the 1980's dated terminal building. The decision by the city to exit the thirty-plus year inter-local agreement with the county for law enforcement and form a community based police department has been a significant improvement.This has certainly allowed for better police protection for our citizens.I have received more positive comments about this particular decision than almost anything else during my ten years as mayor. I have attempted to cover the major progress our city has made over the last ten years but time doesn't allow me the luxury of including everything.I must,however,note a few more things accomplished such as the addition of a new Westside fire station,the purchase of a new aerial ladder truck,two pumper trucks and a rescue truck.The new Animal Control Shelter was completed in 2007.We remodeled city hall and moved the Code Enforcement Department from the third to the first floor.We enacted a new subdivision code and added a sidewalk provision in each new subdivision.We established the Community Garden across from Row Lake where citizens can rent,for a nominal fee,space for a garden.We also constructed the Farmer's Market pavilion at the Myers and Cheney Drive intersection. When I took office in 2007,so many city vehicles qualified for antique license plates that I couldn't count them all.Nearly every piece of equipment that the city owned was worn out. I am extremely grateful to the citizens of Batesville for providing the funds to allow much of the worn out equipment our employees depend on each and every day to be replaced.I understand the importance of picking up your trash,leaves,limbs,and old furniture and refrigerators.Having the dump trucks,road graders,backhoes,stump grinders and all of the lawn mowers,weed eaters and other equipment is vital in providing the services you have come to expect. As I reflect on our community's progress over the last ten years,I am completely amazed by the goals we have reached together.None of this could have been possible without the help and support of you,the citizens.I want to express my sincere thanks to all city employees and our council. I could never thank them enough for believing in me and taking such tremendous pride in their work on a daily basis. It has been an honor and a blessing to represent the city of Batesville as mayor for the past ten years. Batesville is a place I have called home my entire life.I will always be committed to keeping our city safe,beautiful and the finest place to live in the great state of Arkansas. MAYOR COMMENTS Mayor Elumbaugh reminded the committee for the International Performers of the scheduled meeting May 2nd at Wyatt's Restaurant. LIAISON REPORTS None COUNCIL COMMENTS