State of the City Address 2020
Fayette Alliance was proud to attend the 2020 State of the City address by Mayor Linda Gorton at a luncheon hosted by the Lexington Forum, a local civic group. Progress and successes in many areas were reported, including public safety, infrastructure and sanitary sewer projects, economic and workforce development, gigabit fiber and quality of life projects. Specific highlights include:
- A 40% decrease in overdose deaths in Fayette County resulting in part from the increased availability of Noloxone and the needle exchange program, both large focuses of Mayor Gorton’s administration.
- The EPA Consent Decree upgrades, a court mandated sewer system reform project to address deficiencies in our infrastructure, are in progress with half of the 116 required projects completed and issues abated. Further, the upgrades are $83 million under budget!
- Our city’s work to attract and retain jobs is in full force and planning underway for the 250 acres of economic development land the city received in the historic land swap with UK. Plans will target industry including high tech agriculture, biotechnology, global headquarters and small manufacturing.
- LFUCG, UK, Alltech, the Kentucky Department of Agriculture and other partners are working together to make Lexington a national high tech agriculture hub and we are poised to be a leader in the industry.
- Agriculture is a key business in Lexington, having a $2.3 billion impact on our local economy. Mayor Gorton commented, “We need to remember that farms are businesses. They add to our economy and they produce jobs.”
- High quality of life and low cost of living are the reasons many are attracted to Lexington. In 2020, the 100th mile of trails will be completed, construction will begin on Town Branch Commons park downtown and work will begin on the Public Art Master Plan, for which public input is currently being requested. You can give your feedback and thoughts at bit.ly/publicartlexington. “Quality of life projects give us an advantage as we try to attract and retain jobs,” said Mayor Gorton.
- Lexington’s gigabit fiber network will be completed this summer within the Urban Services Area.
As always, there is much to look forward to as Lexington continues to grow and prosper. Our administration’s focus on public safety, infrastructure, economic development and quality of life is working to accommodate our growth in a way that makes sense for our collective community goals. We will continue to keep you updated on Lexington’s progress!