On Saturday, Grand Rapids Mayor George Heartwell delivered his annual "State of the City" address. In the address, Heartwell described his achievements over the past year and set new goals for the city. His discussion coalesced around five key areas--adult literacy, improvements to the public schools, the environment, economic growth, and public transportation.

Heartwell began by telling the audience that it is Grand Rapids' people that make the city strong and unique. As a component of this, Heartwell argued that in order to succeed in the global economy, the city's residents need to be well-educated and life-long learners. He told the audience that right now one in five adults in Grand Rapids is illiterate and that it is essential that everyone learns to read. He touted his work with the Grand Rapids Reads program, which has involved a variety of community organizations to provide adult literacy classes. He also cited continued focus on literacy in the Grand Rapids Public Schools (GRPS), reporting a 16% increase in 4th grade MEAP reading scores since 2006.

This segued into a discussion of improvements to the public schools. Heartwell highlighted the existence of thirty after school programs as part of the schools' "The Loop" program. The city has also worked with GRPS to develop the Expanded Learning Opportunities Network to facilitate the creation of more after school programs. Heartwell mentioned that the 3-6pm period is critical, as that is the time when the most juvenile crimes are committed and a time during which after school programs can provide critical support. He said that the city is working towards having after school programs in every school and only has seven remaining. To pay for these programs, Heartwell said that he has secured some $18 million in outside funding.

Heartwell spent a significant amount of time focusing on the environment during his address, something that is not surprising given his efforts while in office. Heartwell began by highlighting some recent achievements:

"* 20% of our municipal power is generated with renewable resources.

* We have achieved 10% reduction in municipal energy consumption since I took office

* Over the last decade and one-half we have achieved 99.4% reduction in sewer overflows into the Grand River

* 32% of our city-owned vehicles operate using alternative fuels for all but the coldest winter months

* We have introduced hybrid busses into The Rapid's fleet

*The City Commission has committed to build only LEED-certified municipal buildings in the future. LEED is an acronym for Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design, a green-building standard.

* LEED standards have been incorporated in our zoning ordinance

* We built the first LEED-certified municipal facility in Michigan (Water/Environmental Services Building)

* We offer free residential recycling with over 32,000 city households using that service"

Heartwell emphasized that these achievements are part of "a process" and that "sustainability" is an ongoing project. He said "...it is a process that involves continuous improvement, experimentation, thoughtful investment and great vision, focused on balancing people, planet, and profits for the benefit of all who live, learn, work, and play here."

As part of this process, he outlined several new environmental goals for the city. He set a goal to have the city government switch to using 100% renewable electricity by 2020. Additionally, he is working to have the city change its municipal lighting system to light emitting diodes (LEDs) which use considerably less electricity and last longer. He said that money saved could be used to fund other city projects. The final goal mentioned in his speech was to get the city involved in wind power generation. He outlined a tentative plan for mounting small wind turbines around downtown Grand Rapids to produce electricity while also demonstrating the city's commitment to the environment.

When discussing economic growth, Heartwell emphasized the importance of "public partnerships." He talked at length about how generous the philanthropic community has been in Grand Rapids, mentioning the DeVos, Cook, Van Andel, etc families. Unsurprisingly, he made no critical comments about how they have used their fortunes for political purposes beyond civic-minded philanthropy. He touted the development as part of the so-called "Medical Mile" as an example of what can be accomplished when investors, philanthropists, and the city work together. He announced the planned opening of a new D&W store at the corner of Michigan and Fuller that will mark the eastern boundary of the district.

On public transportation, Heartwell discussed his support for a streetcar system. He said that following a tour of Portland's system, he is convinced that it will be a boon to development and will increase public transportation usage. While bus rider ship has increased 11% annually since 2000, more people who are not willing to take the bus will use streetcar according to Heartwell. Additionally, the streetcars system would be connected to the existing bus infrastructure.