The Charbonneau Villager Newspaper 2020_April issue_Villager newspaper | Page 14

14 THE CHARBONNEAU VILLAGER Civic affairs By WAYNE RICHARDS State of the City speech shows Wilsonville is in great shape I attended Mayor Knapp’s State of the City Address on March 2. Our mayor and our city councilors have accomplished much over more than a decade to make Wilsonville the great community we enjoy today. Here is a brief summary: Water infrastructure — Our elected city leaders oversaw the completion of our water source that produces 15 mil- lion gallons per day and for which a Co- ca-Cola executive said, “Wilsonville wa- ter is some of the best in the U.S.” So FOOD SCRAPS CAN NOW GO INTO YARD DEBRIS BINS By CITY OF WILSONVILLE April 2020 they opened a 160,000 square foot expansion and have added 500 employees. Wastewater — We had a plant plagued with lim- RICHARDS ited capacity and an unpleasant smell. Our leaders built a plant for nearly half the bid price that produces dry class A bio-solids with less than 10% moisture for use it for fertilizer. We have sewer capacity for future city growth. Residential living infrastructure — Villebois, Frog Pond West, Meridi- an Creek School, NW Natural Street of Dreams are just a few of the first- class neighborhoods full of parks and underground electric utilities. These things don’t just happen without good planning and sound leadership. Parks and Recreation — There is a beautiful Parks Master Plan to update Memorial Park, Boones Ferry Park and our leaders’ purchase of five acres of riverfront which will help residents rec- reate along the Willamette in the future. Public Transit — Our leaders have taken this head-on with SMART, which was the only Oregon-based public tran- sit that received a grant award of $1.45 million for electric busses. This is fare- less service, supported and popular with Wilsonville businesses, including free service to Charbonneau. Employment — In 2010 we had 15,000 jobs and an annual payroll of $800 million. We now have 21,900 jobs with an annual payroll of $1.4 billion. So. What does it all mean? Property values have increased from $3.6 bil- lion to $5.6 billion. The city has re- ceived over $16 million in grants. We have strong, high-quality, amenity- rich, interconnected neighborhoods, commercial centers and employment centers. Because of good City Council leadership we have a model city in which to live, work and play with citi- zens who participate in boards com- missions, neighborhood associations and are engaged in shaping our shared future. Bond Rating — We have a AAA rating from S&P Global Ratings and we have received the Distinguished Budget Presentation Award from the Government Finance Officers Associa- tion each year for many years. Finally, there is a scientifically valid survey conducted by the National Research Center every two years by which Wil- sonville is rated by our citizens, out of 500 similar sized cities, in the top 10 nationally every time. Our mayor and City Council are do- ing an amazing job. We hope this tal- ent and experience continues. R dential organics in their yard debris bins. The new service does not affect monthly rates (except as noted be- low) or weekly pick up schedules. Why participate? According to Met- ro, food represents the largest portion of Portland-area garbage; about 20% of materials sent to landfills is food waste. As food decomposes in landfills, it cre- esidential customers of Re- public Services, Wilson- ville’s recycling and waste franchise hauler, may now include food scraps with other resi- See FOOD SCRAPS / Page 15 New Wine Releases! 2016 Tempranillo & Cooper’s Red aurora colony Vineyards Protect What Matters Most Wills, Trusts, Probate, Medicaid Qualification Shop Online Pick Up curbside at the Tasting Room Conveniently located just south of the Aurora Airport Michael J. Rose 21338 Oak Lane NE, Aurora Jay Puppo, Agent 9375 SW Wilsonville Road Wilsonville, OR 97070 Bus: 503-582-8181 [email protected] Proudly Serving Charbonneau for 30 Years and Counting LET’S TALK TODAY. 503-678-3390 Order your wine online, and we will contact you to make arrangements for pick up. It’s that easy! Visit Shop.AuroraColonyVineyards.com to order! 971-865-3171 www.roseelderlaw.org State Farm Mutual Automobile Insurance Company State Farm Indemnity Company Bloomington, IL State Farm County Mutual Insurance Company of Texas Richardson, TX