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the Batesville Housing Authority project in Eagle Mountain, Lyon College's new student center and the new Access Arkansas Center. Access Arkansas has added approximately 100 jobs in our community and White River Medical Center's expansion will add approximately 270 more jobs in the near future. With these and other projects over 100 million dollars has been invested in our community securing much-needed jobs for our community. Several companies continue planning expansions including our poultry factories, Bad Boy Mowers and LaCroix Optical. FutureFuel's purchase of the White Rogers facility and the completion of their new rail spur facilities continue to position their company for growth as a leader in their industry. As your Mayor I am committed to building a strong, economically vibrant City, that offers our citizens an excellent quality of life in which to raise their families, allows our children to get a good education, and one that prospers in creating new job opportunities for its citizens. We all want a community that allows our children to remain in this area instead of having to move out of the area to find good jobs. In 1896 there were those who were against electric lights and running water as the tax required would be a burden on our children's children. In the early 1900s a majority were against the railroad. In 1916 many opposed sidewalks and a modern telephone system that we just could not afford. In 1927 there were those who fought the construction of the first bridge across White River because we could not afford it. Several times in the 40's, 50's, 60's and 70's efforts to bring our sewer system up to modern standards were met with defeat. All of us remember those who fought the establishment of the University of Arkansas Community College at Batesville on the grounds we did not need it and we could not afford it. As quoted by Anthony Robbins, "If you always do what you've always done, you'll get what you've always gotten. Today is the right time to invest in our community. Interest rates are the lowest we have seen in our lifetimes! Construction costs are lower than we have seen in decades! Other entities in our community are taking advantage of these factors and moving forward. White River Medical Center's expansion will bring new doctors with families to our community. Will our facilities be what these families want and expect from the community they choose? Expanded medical and skilled nursing facilities will also attract additional retirees to our community.Will we have the facilities these active seniors are looking for? Our greatest investment is in rearing our children and providing for their education to become valued and productive members of our society. We invest all of our time, energy and money in our children only to guarantee that they will have to leave this area to find a good job because our city has failed to provide the amenities other communities provide that make people want to live in those cities. Economic development and community development go hand in hand. It is not about doing one or the other; it is about doing both. The Arkansas Economic Development Commission (AEDC) reports that the top ten site selection factors comparing sites in different states are purely economic in nature. Labor costs, highway accessibility, tax exemptions, energy availability and costs, corporate tax rate, availability of skilled labor, occupancy or construction costs, state and local incentives, availability of advanced ICT (information/computer tech) and lastly inbound/outbound shipping costs. These are the criteria for a company deciding which state to locate their business to, NOT which community within that state will provide them with a quality of place with a workforce that is happy and productive. AEDC explains what individual cities can do to improve their chances of securing new jobs. Once a business decides to locate an industry in a particular state, the decision of where to locate within that state becomes a "quality of place" decision because any given location within a state has basically the same economic qualities. Businesses want their employees to be healthy, happy and productive. Companies look for communities that offer the amenities they and their employees need to be successful. These "quality of place"factors are a low crime rate, healthcare facilities, housing availability, housing costs, and ratings of public schools, climate, recreational opportunities, colleges and universities in the area, and cultural opportunities. Our community currently HAS a low crime rate and excellent healthcare facilities. We have great schools, a good climate, great college and university opportunities and good cultural opportunities for a