Mayor Ron Anders' second annual State of the City Address delivered a message of remembrance, pride and hope to the people of Auburn. Anders gave his address virtually on Monday, Nov. 9 at 5:30 p.m. to members of the community.
“Last year, I began by telling you how unexpected and unchallenging 2019 had been for the City of Auburn,” Anders recalled. “I hoped that I would stand before you tonight to talk about the state of the city in a year where things were back to normal. But, 2020 has been anything but normal.”
Anders said that the Alabama Department of Public Health currently reports 65 confirmed and probable COVID-19 deaths in Lee County. His address was meant to honor the members of the Auburn community who died to the pandemic.
“We've endured lockdowns and social distancing, and we have worn masks,” Anders said. “We've missed gathering with our friends and family so that we can protect one another. We have hit the pause button on our economy locally, nationally and worldwide. Some of us have lost loved ones and others have lost their livelihoods.”
Anders remembered the lives of Auburn firefighter and Lee County Commissioner Johnny Lawrence, as well as Auburn’s 2016 Distinguished Veteran and Presidential Medal of Honor recipient, Command Sergeant Major Bennie Adkins. Although his death was not related to complications with COVID-19, Mayor Anders also acknowledged the life’s impact of Auburn University’s former Coach Pat Dye as one of Auburn’s “giants.”
These losses due to the global pandemic are curtailed by social unrest in response to injustice issues faced by the city of Auburn and the nation alike, Anders said. It was from this unrest that Mayor Anders created One Auburn, a community-wide conversation to unify the Auburn community.
“I'm passionate about One Auburn because I believe that our diversity is not divisive,” Anders explained. “It is part of our strength, and together, regardless of individual differences, we are a passionate and resilient community. Together we stand to face our challenges including any division among us.”
This initiative inspired the City of Auburn to engage in book clubs and interviews to evoke connection and understanding among members of the community.
“We have stood together to get through what 2019 and 2020 have brought, and we stand together today to prepare for whatever the future may bring," Anders said. "[It] is what we've always done and what we would continue to do because we are indeed One Auburn."
While the pandemic roared, Anders expressed his pride in City employees.
“I'm proud of what our City management and staff have accomplished in 2020,” he boasted. “Undeterred by the pandemic, City employees have worked tirelessly and selflessly, putting themselves and their families at risk for our community while making sure that the City services have continued without interruption.”
The City of Auburn was not left alone, even at the height of quarantine. Anders commended the civil servants for their continued operations in response to the needs of the public. Public staff remained available to help answer questions from the public, which caught further praise from the mayor. Virtual meetings replaced in-person ones while curbside pickup options and online retailing were utilized in order to continue operations of businesses.
Anders continued to commend those in the community who came alongside others who were hurting.
“You have also worked to help those in our community who fell on hard times during the pandemic through our local nonprofits,” Anders said. "We came together to make a real difference in the lives of local families.”
Anders said that the United Way of Lee County distributed over $26,000 in order to meet housing and utility needs. He highlighted the efforts of Food Bank of East Alabama in forming a contactless drive-thru in order to navigate the pandemic and its restrictions. Organizations like The Boys and Girls Club of Greater Lee County, Auburn Dream Center, the Food Bank and Auburn City Schools banded together to combat hunger in the wake of the pandemic.
Anders took a moment to applaud the work of healthcare workers over the last year as they tended to the Auburn community.
“I commend our healthcare workers on the front lines of this health crisis,” Anders said. “Our nurses, our doctors, the EMTs, every day, you are putting your health second to those you treat. And, as a community, we are forever grateful and indebted to you.”
Anders was proud of the community's accomplishments despite the ongoing pandemic. The Auburn family demonstrated its resilience and its ability to work together, he said.
While the City's businesses experienced economic crisis, the City carried on. Efforts by the City’s department of economic development and the Workforce Action Center fought to grant unemployment benefits to individuals in need, both finding and creating jobs for them when possible. These efforts were more than successful, not just recovering jobs lost but also increasing the number of jobs available, Anders said.
“[Jobs] are now higher than they were in January before COVID hit,” Anders said. “As of October, the economic development team has brought 638 industry jobs to our community with a net gain of nearly 200 jobs so far this year.”
The City can be hopeful for higher employment in the future, Anders said. Strategic contracts and partnerships being made with outside industries will create over 220 more jobs.
Anders commended the service of the Auburn City School system.
“For Auburn City Schools to start the school year on-time and open its classrooms safely, while also providing remote learning opportunities for students, is something to be celebrated,” Anders continued. “It would seem the pandemic is only strengthening the relationships that make our school systems so successful.”
Despite hardships presented in 2020, the City of Auburn is improving and growing, Anders said. 120 potholes and 302 yards of sidewalk were tended to. The City is cleaner, with 12,610 bags of litter having been collected, 2,810 tons of material recycled and 16,000 tons of garbage picked up. Anders quoted the city's inspection permits, revealing community growth of over 600 new single-family homes and 45 new commercial buildings this year.
The City of Auburn can expect to see new growth in areas beyond housing, Anders said. He seeks to grow the city's art district, establish a new well to bring in more water for the City and build a public parking deck downtown to promote Auburn as a destination. The health and safety sector of Auburn is also growing, with a new medical center run by EAMC and the building of a sixth fire station.
Anders put the new Auburn 2040 plan in the spotlight, which will kick off in April 2021. As the City is expected to change in 20 years, this initiative is intended to stir individuals to begin thinking about what that change might bring, he said.
To conclude his address, Mayor Anders gave out six Lamplighter Awards to individuals in the community who quietly serve to make Auburn a better, safer place. The first award was given to Katie Basden, who assisted and continues to promote the EAGLES Program at Auburn University. The program serves as a comprehensive transition program for students with intellectual disabilities and graduated its first class of students this year.
The second lamplighter, Collen Jennings, tends to the 35 flower baskets that decorate the streets of Auburn. The third award was given to the Auburn University Medical Clinic director Dr. Fred Kam for the impacts he makes on every student he encounters.
The fourth lamplighter is Odalys Silvera, the vision and power behind the Esperanza House, a support for low-income Hispanic children. The fifth is the president of the Auburn City Schools Board of Education, Charles Smith. The sixth and final Lamplighter Award was granted to Karen Turner, who is the president of the board of Auburn Opelika Habitat for Humanity.
Do you like this story? The Plainsman doesn't accept money from tuition or student fees, and we don't charge a subscription fee. But you can donate to support The Plainsman.
