Mayor Randy Pye livened his inaugural State of Our City address
in 2005 by joining TV weather man Mike Nelson in his signature
body-spin. However, Brian Vogt, the director of Colorado’s Office
of Economic Development, did serve up an old pancake.
“If you’re interested in aging a pancake, don’t take the advice
of putting it in the microwave for a very long time,” the master of
ceremonies told the audience.
By By:Peter Jones
No Tornado Dance this year.
Mayor Randy Pye livened his inaugural State of Our City address
in 2005 by joining TV weather man Mike Nelson in his signature
body-spin. However, Brian Vogt, the director of Colorado’s Office
of Economic Development, did serve up an old pancake.
“If you’re interested in aging a pancake, don’t take the advice
of putting it in the microwave for a very long time,” the master of
ceremonies told the audience.
Earlier, the state official had presented what appeared to be an
old, burnt pancake in a plastic storage bag.
As contemporary legend has it, the founding of Centennial was
cooked up at a pancake breakfast shared by Pye, Vogt and former
Arapahoe County commissioner John Brackney. By way of apparent
tradition, later meetings about the new city were also held over
coffee and maple syrup.
“Four minutes (in the microwave) is probably a little too much,”
Vogt continued, referring to the art of forged pancake
dating.
“Ten minutes is definitely too much,” he said, after confessing
that the bagged item was not a genuine relic of Centennial
history.
Pye’s April 6 speech at Centennial’s Embassy Suites Hotel was
not centered on the distant past, either.
“There are three types of cities in America,” the mayor said.
“First are those cities whose best days are behind them. They have
already reached their peak and now sadly have stumbled into
decline. Then, there are those cities searching for a way to
maintain and not fall into a state of decline. In these cities,
many residents aren’t planning their futures, but they are planning
their escapes.”
The audience, which boasted current and former city and county
officials and local business leaders, including furniture mogul
Jake Jabs, knew it had to be next in the trilogy.
“Then, there are cities like Centennial, whose best days are
ahead of them,” Pye concluded, “cities where tomorrow is better
than yesterday, cities that are planning for their future, cities
where residents ask, ‘What’s next?’ instead of ‘What
now?'”
The mayor pointed to Centennial’s low crime rate and Streets at
Southglenn, a $310 million retail-residential-entertainment center
planned for the Southglenn Mall site. He also alluded to Monte
Moses, the nationally recognized superintendent of the Cherry Creek
School District, as well as recent inroads made by the business
community and the city’s financial recovery after its lean early
period.
“The first four years of my administration, we focused on
creating the foundation and building the infrastructure of the
city,” Pye said. “We have done the job of laying the cornerstones
and creating a stable and strong foundation. We will continue to
strengthen and build upon what we have already done.”
Recent accomplishments include being named the 25th safest U.S.
city. The Rocky Mountain News deemed Centennial the metro suburb
with the lowest crime rate – with the lowest cost for
law-enforcement per capita. The mayor attributed such successes to
Sheriff Grayson Robinson’s community-policing philosophy.
Pye also pointed to $35 million in new commercial and
residential construction. He said he will work in the coming year
with economic-development agencies and two local chambers of
commerce to create a business-development plan, which is likely to
include the targeted recruitment of corporate
relocations.
Construction of Streets at Southglenn will begin in late
spring.
“For our city, (that) means the revitalization of the heart of
western Centennial, new economic development opportunities and
additional sales-tax revenues to fund long-term city goals,” the
mayor said. ” … The Streets at Southglenn will be a place to live,
a place to work, a place to shop, a place to eat, a place to be
entertained and a place to celebrate our city. Ladies and
gentlemen, we are bringing the Lodo experience right here to
Centennial!”
The mayor emphasized the importance of working with Arapahoe
County on growth issues. So far, this has included an ongoing study
on the future of eastern Arapahoe Road and a joint planning
agreement that could be finalized by the end of the
summer.
“There can be no partners that are more attached at the hip for
their futures than the city and the county,” he said.
Centennial – carved from a large chunk of the county – still
contracts with it for public works and law enforcement. The city’s
2000 formation was the nation’s largest such
incorporation.
Centennial’s arguably indistinct personality – partly a product
of its late entry as a city – has led many residents and leaders to
actively seek a new level of fellowship in the suburbs.
“Community development involves discovering or rediscovering and
mobilizing layers of resources already present in our community …
It is exactly how we formed the city,” the mayor added.
Pye announced Centennial Cultural Connections, a partnership
involving the Arapahoe Library District, the city and museums.
Museum admission will be free to city residents during certain
weeks. Libraries will showcase books relating to exhibits. The
program will begin by mid-June.
Pye also referred to a new Centennial Arts and Culture
Commission that will develop other activities within the actual
city.
A health and wellness festival is in the planning stages,
too.
“The old model (of community) where citizens make up their
individual wish lists and the elected officials decide which wishes
will be granted is not for Centennial,” the mayor said. “That model
is broken. In fact, it is bankrupt.”
In the end, Pye brought his address full circle, using the
“rediscovery” of “new” community as a metaphor for all the
important initiatives in and for Centennial.
“The greatness of our city,” he concluded, “lies in the strength
of our citizens and the spirit of our community to reach beyond
ourselves – where we all ask the same question, ‘What’s
next?'”
For the second year, the State of Our State address was hosted
by the Rotary Club of Centennial.