Dixon officials say the best is yet to come

Article Launched: 02/19/2005 09:01:49 AM

By Michael Joyce/Staff Writer

Eat, drink, and be merry was the mood in Madden Hall at the Dixon May Fair grounds on Friday at the annual "State of the City" address by Dixon Mayor Mary Ann Courville.

While community members and business leaders ate breakfast and drank coffee, city officials told those gathered in the dim-lit dining room that Dixon was in strong standing and has a bright future.

"It's such a good place to live, work, play, and raise a family," Courville told the crowd. "We are always working to better this community."

Following a brief overview of 2004, Courville turned the podium over to Police Chief Don Mort, who outlined crime statistics from the past year and talked about plans for the future.

He told the crowd that violent crimes were down from 2004 and that the police department would work to decrease domestic violence, and increase hours of operation in the future. These changes would help to continue to decrease crime, he said.

"One of our dreams in the city of Dixon is to have a safe community," Mort said. "I feel we're living our dream in the city of Dixon."

From safety and law enforcement, the address moved to community development and engineering. Director of Engineering Janet Koster and Community Development Director Rebecca Van Buren separately addressed projects and proposals such as Dixon Downs, the Flying J truck stop, the Milk Farm renovation, the Brookfield residential development, and the new high school.

"2004 was a job well done," Van Buren said of projects begun and finished. "But in 2005 we're going to be looking beyond our boundaries and make decisions that define the city and give it character like no other city."

Continuing with the theme of growth, Economic Development Director Marshall Drack spoke briefly about the numerous projects and proposals in Dixon.

Drack asked the crowd, "Why are all these projects here in Dixon?"

He answered, "To me, Dixon is a great place to do business."

Wrapping up the address, City Manager Warren Salmons painted an exciting future for the city.

"Just fine, thank you very much." Salmons told those gathered of the city's health. "We are in a very good state."

Salmons concluded by saying that numerous opportunities, options, and choices all make Dixon a dynamic place to be.

"This isn't a place where we wait for something to happen," he said. "It's up to us as a community to decide what we want to do with these choices."

Michael Joyce can be reached at dixon@thereporter.com.