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community a leader in creative change. They continue to enable students to obtain the education and skills they need to become productive members of our community while providing business and industry with employees that meet their needs.We applaud the Batesville Area Chamber of Commerce for setting our community apart through their leadership in this vital area. The new community and aquatics center,our sports complexes,the development of the downtown Maxfield Park,the continued development of walking and biking trails,the new and modern Independence County Library housed in the restored Historic Barnett Building and the continued revitalization of the Main Street Downtown Historical District,and especially the restoration of the Melba Theatre.All are vital amenities desired by those who continue to choose Batesville as their home.Economic developers have long said the best way to evaluate the viability of a city is to look at their downtown and see whether the community believes enough in itself to invest in its downtown.Recently,native son Skip Rutherford commented that he has been to every city in Arkansas and Main Street Batesville is by far the best one in the state! I am extremely thankful that you continue choosing to move Batesville forward by pushing the envelope in dreaming"what's next"for our great city and by electing community minded city council members who are dedicated to working together to continue bringing positive change to our community. Last year brought some changes in our leadership as Julie Hinkle replaced Sonya(Crafton)Gaither who resigned after moving out of her ward and Ronda Bryant replaced Dr.Chris Beller who also moved outside of the city.In November,Scott Fredricks was elected to fill Margret Henley's position and former council member Fred Krug was elected to fill David Shetron's position.Both Henley and Shetron chose not to run for re-election.I am grateful for the contributions that these former councilpersons made and I continue to be thankful for citizens willing to serve on our council.These individuals are dedicated to continuing the progress we have made.While many cities in Arkansas struggle to find young professionals willing to serve in these leadership positions,I am encouraged that Batesville is the exception to the rule. I am also mindful of the trusted working relationships that we have formed with other community partners including the Batesville Area Chamber of Commerce,Main Street Batesville,The Independence County Library Board,White River Medical Center,UACCB,Lyon College and others.Without these trusted relationships much of the phenomenal progress our city has witnessed might not have otherwise occurred. Electing leaders with a strong community spirit and a burning desire to work with other trustworthy elected officials is vitally important to the success of any city. Next,I'd like to turn my attention to a few continuing challenges and some highlights from 2018. First,I must say that it's difficult to believe that ten years after passing the 2009 wastewater tax we would still be working on the project!We still have one major contract segment we hope to award this year.This project involves replacing several major wastewater lines with a single much larger one.This will be a challenging endeavor as the line replacement begins in Riverside Park, crosses US 167,goes through both of the poultry plants,goes through the rail yard at the depot,continues along Poke Bayou,near the jail, and then comes up the bayou near Charles Street.This is one of the most critical parts of the wastewater project as this line replacement is expected to significantly reduce the inflow and infiltration of rainwater into the wastewater system. In February,tourism director Kyle Christopher and Chamber CEO Crystal Johnson gave an update noting the launching of the new tourism website"Experience Independence"and the announcement of"way finding"signs to direct visitors to area attractions. Batesville is the first city of our size to utilize the signs and more are planned.The lodging tax continues to bring more people and events to our community through its unique incentive program based on hotel stays.No other city our size is using this approach and it is making a significant difference. We are looking forward to Batesville's first Hilton chain hotel,the Hampton Inn that will increase room capabilities for our future visitors. Also in February,the council moved forward with purchasing several acres of land adjacent to the existing city yard on General Street. This will benefit us in consolidating most of the city's maintenance shops into one central location. The city continues to work with the Miracle League of Arkansas to bring to fruition the dream of a special ball field for special needs children and adults. Additionally,the city has been considering the construction of an"all inclusive"playground to provide special needs children with more recreational opportunities. The dream of a city dog park also came closer to reality as local business owner,Steve Bryant,stepped up to lead the ongoing effort to raise private funds for its construction. The$1.5 million dollar contract for the construction of a mile of 18"water line on White Drive was awarded and is now nearing completion.This line supplies the county industrial park on White Drive and adds additional backup protection in case of a line failure. A new playground was recently constructed in Riverside Park replacing an old and outdated wood structure. The theme is the "White River Queen"which is designed to replicate a steam boat that frequented our beautiful White River years ago. The trail system continues to grow with the opening of a new section from Batesville Junior High to Timberland Drive. The city worked with area child advocacy leaders to modify the zoning code to allow for the opening of a new Children's Advocacy Center on Boswell Street.The center offers round the clock support for children and youth in need. The Independence County Library opened its spacious new quarters in the restored,historic Barnett Building.The council's vision of repurposing the historic building when it accepted the building as a gift was brought to life through the dedicated work of Admiral Bob Carius and Judge Bill Walmsley.This modern facility will serve our community for decades to come. The city continued its mission to better provide services to our citizens by implementing mechanized trash pickup with the goal of reducing injuries and labor costs associated with the service. In August,parks director,Jeff Owens,reported that,as of August 24,2018,the new Community&Aquatics Center had 4,010 memberships representing 8,073 individual passes.The number of activities offered to our members has continued to grow. One of the fastest growing sports we've added is"Pickleball". Pickleball is a paddle sport,for all ages,similar to tennis and badminton played in the gym. The Batesville High School swim team and our local Torpedoes team continue to utilize the facility year round and host several meets throughout the year. In October,the council recognized our City Clerk/Treasurer Denise Johnston for obtaining the International Institute of Municipal Clerks designation of Master Municipal Clerk(MMC).The MMC designation is only bestowed upon municipal clerks who have completed demanding educational requirements and who have a record of significant contributions to their local government,their community and state. There are only six other clerks in Arkansas who have obtained the designation.