Heartwell delivers 10th State of City

GRAND RAPIDS, MIch. (WOOD) - Grand Rapids Mayor George Heartwell delivered his 10th State of the City Address Saturday and spoke about the future of the city.

Heartwell's speech first focused on children. He spoke about the success of the LEAD program; a business partnership providing jobs for youth. Another program, the college prep program Upward Bound, was presented with a generous check for $100,000 by Mercantile Bank.

"I believe it is our greatest responsibility to ensure that all children are safe, protected and have the resources they need to be fully prepared for college," Heartwell said. Heartwell also touted the efforts of Grand Rapids Public Schools Superintendent Teresa Weatherall Neal.

The Champions of Diversity Award was presented to city commissioners Elias Lumpkins and James White.

Heartwell also spoke about the campaign Green Grand Rapids. Hearwell says the Water Department Building is now 35% solar powered and solar will be installed at the Former Butterworth Landfill, thanks to a $30,000 federal grant . Sewer overflows into the Grand River are all but eliminated and the city is moving forward with support of the Grand River Restoration Project.

" We would like to see the river become more natural as possible before the European Americans came in and started building dams and floodwalls and narrowing the river," said Chip Richards, Co-Founder of Grand Rapids Whitewater.

Heartwell says Grand Rapids is meeting economic goals in the Five-Year transformation plan to streamline services and spoke of more investment in the Medical Mile. He also got in a jab at Newsweek for their 2011 list of dying cities in the United States ; Grand Rapids was tenth on the list. "Remember when Newsweek Magazine called us a dying city?? Hmm...for that matter, do you remember Newsweek Magazine?" Heartwell said. Those in attendance applauded the mayor.

However, Mayor Heartwell spoke little about the city's recent murders. "We feel the urgency of the mothers who have lost children to gun violence," When asked about the recent violence after the speech, Heartwell said "If we're going to reduce violence in the city, it's going to be because the entire city comes together to address it."

You can read the mayor's full speech by clicking on Mayor Heartwell's State of the City speech, January 26, 2013