>> the next component is to sell more missouri made goods overseas to create more jobs at home. it is clear the world wants what missouri has got. chemicals leaders will soybeans and semiconductors and f-15s. wanna talk about selling missouri made goods overseas i don't mean just the fortune 500s with an established global -- global footprint. competing globally is as important for small business and family farms in every corner of our state. one company that is ahead of a curve, forced peeling nursery in el very founded 63 years ago in the backyard of dr. forest peopley. now it has 250 types of trees,

shrubs and, grasses and sells the around the world. they have patents pending in more than 50 countries. west year i had the pleasure of visiting a small home town business that is winning in a global economy. i asked wayne loveing about their exporters and their daughter kim and what we want to do to sell to the world. [applause] companies like this, missouri exports were up by $1.2 billion in the first quarter of 2011. that was on top of our upstanding 30% growth in 2010. we are going to keep this

momentum building by creating a 1-stop shop to help missouri business and farmers find customers in international markets. with new trade offs that will be opening in china at, se a chance of america we will take that mate in missouri brand global. [applause] i lead a delegation of 60 missouri business and agricultural leaders to china where we signed an agreement to sell $4.6 billion worth of missouri products. [applause] i don't know about you, but i think it is just about time the guy in beijing walked into his local store and saw made in america stickers on products he is buying. [applause]

another part of the missouri work strategy is worker training. in the global economy with constant involvement in technology, training and education can never stop. we established new higher education programs like caring for missouri, nurse training to prepare thousands more for rewarding careers that exist today. last year we also increased missouri's investment in our customized training program by 50%. that record investment allowed us to train nearly 37,000 workers who are on the job right now at 300 missouri businesses. as part of our work strategy the budget i present to night

continues our record investment in worker training for second year especially in high-tech areas critical to modern manufacturing. [applause] one of the growing companies we helped is merrimack elector product which employs thirty million people in its state of the art facility in crawford county. are customized training program helped reduce production costs by 30%, become more competitive in the global market and create 25 new jobs last year on behalf of all of our innovative small business please welcome ceo knicks verrazzano and the co ceo carolyn. [applause] let's talk for a second about

our military veterans. honoring and employing our military veterans is another key element of our missouri work strategy. in my last visit to afghanistan i was talking with a group of soldiers who were about to go out on patrol. as they were suiting up by asked one of the soldiers what he was most worried about. is answer really surprised me. he didn't say he was most worried about facing the enemy. he looked me straight in the eyes and said what i'm worried about is whether there is going to be a job for me when i get home. our job is to make sure the answer to that question is a resounding yes. [applause]

every veteran who need the job should be able to get one. in 2009 we passed legislation to begin phasing out state taxes on military retirement income. that sends a strong signal that we want military veterans to moved to missouri to work in missouri and make missouri their home. in 2010 we launched show me heroes. missouri employers to put military veterans in the front of the line when hiring for new jobs. more than 1700 employers have signed up to be part of that effort already. tonight i am proud to report our show me heroes program has crossed the marker and put more than 1,000 veterans back to work right here in missouri. [applause]

the missouri work strategy will expand the mission of show me heroes to include on-the-job training for national guard, reserve and active-duty veterans who left military service. we will work tirelessly to create job opportunities for every veteran in our state. the next killer is to accelerate investment in hydro energies like science and technology. with more than 1,000 life science and biotech companies missouri is already home to some of the brightest minds and innovators in the world. the missouri science and in a very it's -- innovation act we are poised for rapid progress. as part of the missouri works my budget includes $4 million in seed capital to invest in attracting the very best science talent in missouri. by speeding the flow of innovation out of the lab and

into the marketplace we're growing industries today and creating the high-tech jobs of tomorrow. finally missouri works will help create jobs in rural communities. anyone who grew up in a small town like i did knows there something special. folks want their accounts to be places where kids can grow up safe, get a good education, find a job and raise a family. wasn't all that long ago, a generation or two that folks mated decent living with baseball uniforms and making shoes. or assembling typewriters in springfield. those jobs may be gone but our rural way of life is still strong. of missouri works plan will create custom tailored job creation incentives for small business owners in rural communities because we want every part of missouri to move

forward together. [applause] we are also competing by dramatically expanding access to high-speed internet. broadband access is a game changer for commerce, farming, education, law-enforcement, extremely competitive, bringing total investment to $311 million through 18 projects in wire communities across missouri. let me give you a quick example. we have hooked up local schools for partnership with show me technologies. this is significant expanded their ability to provide web based classes using streaming video. just as of the railroads and interstates changed the face and

the fate of missouri communities in decades past, this project will help shape missouri at future from waterville to london and everywhere in between. rural communities are proud part of missouri's past and also a vital part of missouri's future especially when it comes to agriculture. missouri farmers feed fuel and clothe the world. with 108,000 farms generating $12 billion annually agriculture is truly the backbone of missouri's economy. [applause] makes you hungry just thinking about it.

we want to keep missouri agriculture growing and the rural way of life strong. that is why i am committed to open new markets, improve energy efficiency and use the latest science and technology to make missouri agriculture more competitive. folks like bob vandenberg, major part of missouri's agriculture. their story is not unique. his parents raise the few cattle trying to make a living off the land, but he and kate turned up the farm into one of the largest in our state. it is a lasting legacy, one that will be handed down for generations. representing all our great agriculture community tonight please welcome one of the show me state's outstanding farm families, gave birth -- kerri, dale and day. jake. [applause]

to compete in a changing global economy missouri must have world class public schools. our public schools have always been and will always be beacons of hope, opportunity and excellence for all. no one is turned away. some children come to school hungry, homeless. some bear the burdens of poverty and neglect. but when a child of wealth and a child of want walk for our school forced the best schoolhouse doors they enters =.

. coo education is an enduring value that unites us. [applause] some states have opted to balance their budgets on the backs of school children. campus cut basic funding by $232 per child. texas sliced $4 billion from its education budget triggering massive layoffs. south carolina, arizona and california have each reduced funding per pupil by more than 20%. but you know, all across missouri i haven't met one parent or one teacher who thinks we should balance our budget by

taking money from our kids's classrooms. [applause] for the past three years even in challenging budget times we maintain level funding for our k-12 class and we will take a backstop. the budget i present tonight provides record funding for r k-12 classrooms because it is the right thing to do. [applause] several urgent issues facing public education require our action this session. we must find a solution that applies to the foundation formula fairly and predictably. we also know we have more work to do with our urban school district on both sides of the state. to make sure that every child in every community has equal

opportunity to succeed. take a look at st. louis. we still have a long way to go but we are seeing how strong leadership, dedicated teachers and committed parents are making a real difference right now. students have shown academic improvement four years in a row. the district is operating with a balanced budget, the attendance rate is at 93%. [applause] from my frequent discussions with teachers, administrators and others that works with teacher america it is clear school are finding their footing and moving to right direction. [applause] we need to take steps to improve public education in a number of areas including charter schools. missouri has strong charter schools.

inspired teachers with fresh ideas giving children a top-notch education. let's be frank. we also have charter schools where children are languishing in classrooms that are not up to par academically in schools that are not well managed. and our students pay the price. i call on legislatures into my desk. personal comprehensive charter accountability bill that holds all charter schools and their sponsors to high standards of academic achievement and financial integrity this year. [applause] educating our children. those who answer the call deserve our support and respect. good teachers get results. great teachers transform lives. [applause]

a best college students need to become teachers in urban and rural school district with the greatest need and once they are on the job, they must be accountable for what the kids are learning. [applause] our economy is changing. education can't stop that high school because by the next decade nearly two thirds of all jobs in the united states will require some post secondary education. that means more missouri kids will need a college degree. too many families can't afford the cost of a college education. for the past three years missouri has tackled college affordability head on.

universities and other states were increasing tuition by double digits, we froze tuition in 2009-2010 at all public colleges and universities. as a result, enrollment in public colleges has surged. over the past three years, we added 31,000 students, a new record each fall. the future of the state, another challenging budget year, our top priorities funding for-education must be high quality academic programs and student scholarships. in addition to record investment in classrooms my budget will provide stable funding for scholarships including access missouri and a plus. [applause]

let me talk about that program. tuitions and fees that any two year public colleges are state for students willing to work hard, play by the rules and give back to their communities. since i have become your governor we worked to at 110 new a-plus schools and a number of students in our program has risen 30% this year to 12,500 missouri students to take advantage of are a plus college. next year we anticipate closer to 14,000 students will be a plus scholars. we will continue to expand access to a-plus scholarships to students all across our state. investing in college affordability is critical for continued economic growth. but we have to balance the

budget. we all know that means we need to cut in other areas. to balance our budget in a way that -- i call on colleges in universities to look for ways to cut overhead costs and run smarter, more efficient operations. while leaner and more efficient operations are essentials, higher education must continue to adapt to the modern economy. public colleges and universities must change the business models. let me give you an exciting example of what one college is doing. earlier this month the university of central missouri unveiled a new model called the innovation campus. it has the potential to transform how we educate students. innovation campus students will involving college courses while still in high school and participate in high impact apprentice ships through the

college curriculum. expected results, they learnt the practical skills necessary for excellent careers. they can earn a degree in three years or less. business partners. we encourage all universities to take the lessons of the innovation campus to heart and develop similar programs. [applause] when we come together and take the extra step we are proving there is no limit to what we can accomplish. working together we pass landmark legislation to ensure children with autism get the therapy they need. for too long insurance companies were required to cover the most

effective autism therapies but that changed last year and now 1.6 million have plans that cover autism treatments. [applause] so this year i called the general assembly to pass legislation to increase access to care by expanding the number of licensed professionals working with children with autism in missouri. that is what we can accomplish when we take that extra step. working together our partnership for hope is changing the lives of missourians with developmental disabilities and their families. before this compassionate program was in place some folks waited years for services to help loved ones live more independently. like getting dressed, cooking

meals, taking the bus to work. but now our partnership includes 91 missouri counties in the city of st. louis and serve 1300 people with developmental disabilities. this year we will keep expanding the partnership, improving lives and saving money over the long run. that is what we can accomplish when we take that extra step. [applause] last year we reauthorize a vital program that costs the costs of drugs for 250,000 of missouri seniors and people with disabilities. when that lifeline was in jeopardy folks across our state came together to protect these vulnerable citizens and my budget continues funding for that program. that is what we can accomplish. [applause]

working together, i have taken that extra step. we achieved a lot for our state. we have shown the partisan gridlock in washington had take hold in missouri but we have more work to do. that includes balancing the budget and holding the line on taxes and putting missouri work strategy in place to create jobs and keep the economy growing and making record investment k-12 classrooms, keeping college affordable and helping all missouri children achieve their dreams and also includes passing campaign contribution limits. [applause] i will keep calling contribution limits until we get the law changed. one one person with an ax to

grind to make an unlimited contributions to advance a narrow agenda, lobbyists for powerful interests can tip the balance in an election. bristol the foundations of our democracy are at risk. unlimited contributions are overriding the will of the people and undermining the principles for free and fair elections. missouri need strict limits on campaign contributions. this is the year to get that done. [applause] i learned a lot about public service at the kitchen table. my parents were deeply committed to our community and public service. my dad was a mayor. i served on the scoreboard. our town folks needed help. they called the house. usually at suppertime.

we didn't have a no call list back then. whatever the complainer requests, i don't ever recall hearing my parents asked argue a democrat or republican? did you vote for me? because that is not what public service is about. when you hold public office, you represent everyone. we saw the best of public service in action in every quarter of missouri last year. one man stands out as a shining example. his name is c.j. half. he is the superintendent of joplin school. the tornado damaged or destroyed ten of their buildings. joplin high was left in ruins. c j feared if the schools didn't open on time families would start to leave town. was not about to let that

happen. so c.j. -- parents and teachers and civic leaders, carpenters and plumbers and an army of volunteers. in just 54 days they turned and emptied department store at a shopping mall into a high-tech high school. not only did all the joplin's schools open on time nearly 95% of students showed up on that first day. that was simply amazing to see. please stand and welcome an outstanding leader, dr. c. date -- c j hoff. [applause]

public service matters. what we do here matters. but in a world of term limits, skeptics say we can't get much accomplished. in a world of paperpartisanship, cynics say we can't find common ground. they might say just watch us. but if in a big city or small town with you make your living on the farm or in a lab or you are a democrat or republican or independent or none of the above, we are all missourians first. [applause]

here in missouri we are not defined by our differences. we are defined by our shared values. values that give us the strength to face whenever tomorrow brings with faith and optimism. there is a lot of uncertainty in this life. we can't control the weather. we can't always see what tomorrow will bring. but one thing is clear. through storms and floods and hard times the people of missouri never give up or give in. even in our darkest hours put spirit will prevail and when people of good faith and good will work together, nothing can stop us. together we will continue to balance the budget without raising taxes. we will continue to create more

jobs, better schools and more compassionate communities. and quintin, i pledge to you that we will continue to work together to take that extra step and keep our state moving forward. [applause] .. .. it's an honor to serve as your governor. i'm grateful for the opportunity that you've given me and for the trust that you have placed in me with your help and god's grace we will continue to show the strong leadership to missouri to brighter days ahead. it to each and every one of you and all missourians, thank you and god bless.

[applause] >> will the escort committee, please, escort the golf from the chamber. [inaudible conversations] [applause]

>> sunday on news makers, chairman of the republican party of florida, leonard curry, on his state's upcoming primary. that's at 10 a.m. and 6 p.m. eastern on c-span, c-span radio and c-span.org. now, a look at the state of the city address by oklahoma city mayor mick cornett. he talked about making a culture of entrepreneurship in the city, he also talked about creating health and fitness programs for the community. his speech is about 30 minutes.. >> well, thank you. it is good to see all of you.

lunch must have been good, everyone is smiling. of the number of people attending this event, it has increased every single year. i am told today that we have 1,340 people here. give yourself a round ofh applause. this is fantastic. rou [applause] i am always wondering how we manage to squeeze at least a fee more people in every single year, and then i rememberedthen we've lost a million pounds.red [laughter] million pounds. we are smaller. we can fit more people in the room. the benefits of a healthier community only continue to multiplied. we also have a lot of new faces in the audience this year and the census bureau can explain why we have people moving to oklahoma city from all over the country. so welcome. we have for people moving here from texas than are moving to

texas. [applause] and the number of californians moving in here is quite refreshing if that includes you we are glad you are here. i don't know why you felt like you needed to bring your earthquake with you. but what ever. [laughter] and i also know that many of you are here as long time and residents of oklahoma city and you have seen the improvements, you share my pride, you share my enthusiasm. so to everyone, welcome to the state of the city address for 2012. [applause] one thing i enjoyed about this event is getting to properly think some people who do so much throughout the rest of the year to help drive our economy and help improve the quality-of-life in oklahoma city. this is a chamber of commerce event, and what everyone who works on the staff of the chamber please come stand so we

can show our appreciation. [applause] lilly and carl and everyone standing, thank you very much for everything you do for us and we have the best city council in the united states with us here today. eight individuals who give generously with their time and their expertise and members of the city council will call your name if you please stand and i called a total of them are here but i think most of them are and hold your applause until the end gary marrs representing the world won. ed, ward to, larry mcentee, ward 3, pete, ward 4. meg representing board six. scaap kelly, ward seven and pat

ryan, ward 8. kolevar city employees that are here today also stand okay. now, anyone who serves on a city commission and advisory board and oversight board, and a match three subcommittee or one of our trusts, if that fits any of your categories, please come stand and now let's give our council and city staff and committee volunteers a round of applause. [applause] an amazing a group of people. you may recall last year i spent quite a bit of time talking about all the national acclamation that we were receiving. we were receiving honors on so many best of list this seemed like a good idea to take stock and mentioned as many of them as we could. this year i want to mention just one list and then i want to drill down and kind of explore what it might mean. last month, the urban institute

took a look at the 100 largest metro areas in the country and ranked them for economic security. now, economic security takes them into consideration and for factors, unemployment, the trend in your housing prices, the overall price of your housing, and the share of homeowners in your communities that are having trouble making payments. they call it economic security. it's kind of an indicator of your community peace of mind. well, we did pretty well. in fact, we were ranked number one in the country in economic security. [applause] we were the only city in the united states to receive straight a's in all for categories. as a congratulations. this past week the new national data on home sales released for oklahoma city and tulsa are on

the list of top housing markets in the country. we are highlighted both for affordability and increased sales. in other words, it doesn't matter if you owned a home or if you need a home, oklahoma city is a good place to be. i feel one way that economic security in tracks with our current economy is that it helps create consumer confidence. and i remember back in august i was reading a national business magazine and said that consumer confidence was at some level of a historical low. people throughout the country reluctant to spend money and it makes sense if you were concerned about your finances, if you don't have economic security, it's hard to write a check for a discretionary purpose. that very same week that the u.s. was experiencing a low point in consumer confidence, we in oklahoma city opened a new

outlet mall. do you remember what happened? 160,000 people showed up. the turnout shattered oil industry records for an opening weekend. when people have economic security, they are willing to invest in new products and services. and the people that build those products and services are likely to expand their business and higher new people. let me tell you about another illustration of a driving economy. it's a dynamic factor in consumer confidence, and that's construction. when large public companies are investing in their infrastructure like devin and chesapeake foothill action con entel entel resources, all the lobby to name a few, when people see the bulldozer and grain necessary to build a new interstate highway, went downtown seems like a series of

orange cones -- [laughter] when you are constructing new libraries and schools, when there is construction at the zoo and the river, when the dirt is, people realize that the local businesses and their local governments are investing in their future, and there may be no better way to visually fuel consumer confidence than construction. from a revenue perspective, our cities and a very envious position. most cities in the united states are still trying to get back to the pre-recession levels. we have been above our pre-recession levels for over two years. we are still reporting record revenue. tourism is getting better and better. the brand continues to grow. the performing arts community is attracting visitors, our museums are getting national attention. in 2011, exhibits like passages

brought tens of thousands of people to oklahoma city. new hotels are opening, and i am especially encouraged by the progress made on the funding aspects of the american indian cultural center. and i look forward to the day when that opens and helps us a history of our proud heritage. outside of tourism, don't look now, but the aviation sector and biomedical center are thriving. higher-paying jobs are coming by the thousands. and in the last eight years, over 80,000 new jobs have been created in our metro economy. [applause] our position relative to the world economy is much similar to last year. we should not and we cannot ignore the fact that many of the world's financial markets are weak. and as good as our local economy

is, our economy would be doing even better if the national economy and the world economies are doing better. so, here's my take on our local economy. knowing what we know, and knowing that you can't ever be sure of what calamity might be just around the corner, we have every reason to be optimistic. we are attracting talent, banks are gaining confidence in the ability to support new projects, or population growth and our per-capita income are going about rates that exceed the national average. on the flip side, we need to continue to diversify our economy, because as much time as we spend investing resources on creating jobs in mediation and the biomedical field and manufacturing, the energy sector continues to multiply and is

getting larger and larger. is a really good problem to have. but we must make sure our economy looks at and encourages other market sectors. also, remember that we have three fundamental advantages compared to most other major cities that we inherited from past generations. one, we have a large air force base that gets great respect from the pentagon. number two, we have three interstate highways attached to our city, and number three, we are the state capital. now, these three factors were great accomplishments by leaders long gone. tinker air force base was born as a great example of the ongoing relationship between the city hall and a local business leaders. the fact that we give to the interstate highways going all through our city is not an accident. our leadership of nearly 100 years ago worked hard to ensure

that major roads lead to oklahoma city. and as for being the state capital, we had to steal that in the middle of the night. [laughter] and we are not going to give that back. then there are the elements that we in this generation have created. the factors that have started to set our city apart from others to get one, investments in infrastructure that are unparalleled. number two, a thriving arts and sports community. and number three, a general culture of the entrepreneurship, face and diversity. so in the coming years, held are we likely to fare in our ever-growing competition with other cities. how are we likely to compare with our peers for jobs in the

quality-of-life? i can tell you sincerely i wouldn't want to be them. wellness centers for seniors, the city county board of health

is building an entire campus of health-related services. overall, it is a lot attitude to prioritize health and design our infrastructure to interact with people at the same time it interacts with cars. and three, we are doing better on the awareness that. our website, and the city is going on a diet.com attract a 47,116 people to sign up and pledge to lose weight and you may have noticed last week we reached our goal of 1 million pounds. and over that for years, we've been able to make giant stride in getting the word out about the dangers of obesity. as you can imagine a 47,000 people averaging over 20 pounds apiece we have a member success stories stories from the campaign. i want to draw your attention to the story of twin brothers, and dan and on evidence, oklahoma city police officers in the past year, the pastor dan lost 120

more pounds and don lost 130. [applause] that's. between them, they last over 250 pounds and they are sitting right down here. could you guys please stand quite [applause] great examples of taking control of their lives. and i'm sure was not easy, but when we made the announcement at the zoo about the million pounds, they stood up and spoke and said it is that age-old combination of diet and exercise. it is not tricky and we are proud of you to run multiple levels. congratulations. and two days ago i received an e-mail. it says, dear mr. mayor, congratulations on the city hitting the 1 million-pound mark. it takes a lot of hard work to lose weight. i do miss nathan carter harvey

from guthrie. i want to sign up on the website but couldn't because i'm only 12. just one year ago i was 206 pounds in the sixth grade. i was so tired of being picked on and tired of in myself the time i played some xbox 36 t. and started playing more outside, playing sports and riding my bike. i stop drinking pop. i stopped eating as many chips and candy and took a course at the ymca and i started losing weight. in the morning last, the better i thought. but i thought, the harder i worked in the more i lost. today i am 120 pounds. i have lost 85 pounds. i was the center for my junior high football team this year and best of all now i have lots of friends and feel really good. have a fun day, mason carter harvey. and mason is here with us today. it may sound, which stand?

[applause] annie got out of school. to come here the mayor talk. [laughter] what a day. overall, there are three fact years that should make us up domestic about improving our health statistics. rising income, improve infrastructure and better information. what at the end of the day, it's still going to come out to us. it's still going to come out to action in our schools have improved menus. there are signs that grocery stores with fresh fruits and nationals are more likely to move into underserved areas, but better access on is not going to be enough. we need a better attitude. and when you think about it, there is no reason we can't do better. we have placed higher and higher standards on this community time and time again. we must continue to place higher and higher standards on

ourselves. our procedure with wellness from the groundbreaking work at the city county board of health chewer infrastructure changes is drawing national attention as a model to other communities to consider. a round of applause as they continue to prioritize health in this community. [applause] one advantage of the city's progression is that we are better able now to keep and attract the most talented young people in the next generation. young people with choices about where they are going to live. many of them are choosing to live here. and speaking of the next generation, we pride ourselves in oklahoma by providing athletes. most of us if we gave much thought at all could name local athletes that have come from oklahoma and gone on to produce great things at the college

level or professional level where the olympic level. but what our young people are producing right now is historically unprecedented. you can start at the college level for granted and we do not high school ayn rand wrote that oklahoma both for my metro, both among the top college at rates in the country. at the professional level in the last two years, we have watched sam bradford become the number one pick in the nfl draft, blake griffin the number one pick in the nba draft and this year in baseball, not canned became argue with the best player national league. a descendent eight-year contract for $160 million. having three of the best young stars in pro baseball, football and basketball simultaneously is more than just remarkable. in the last few years, all we have emerged from our playground

to the greatest stages of the world of professional sports has to offer. meanwhile, the kids that are using our playgrounds today are getting new schools, new classrooms, new gymnasiums, new technologies, all because of your investment in maps for kids. 2011 was a big year for maps for kids. 2012 will be an even bigger year for maps for kids any think about it. the school severity been completed. there is currently construction taking place at 29 more schools and all of those 29 will be completed by the end of the year. there are seven schools in the design phase that will go to business spring. the downtown elementary school is in design. so it could be under construction a year from now and in the final project will be the administration building. more and that will unfold as

time passed. let me show you a picture that i think speaks loudly to the quality and integrity of the program. this is the auditorium at capitol hill high school with maps for kids dollars as turned the building to its former glory. now let's switch over to maps three. we have seven citizen must subcommittees passed with providing direction on the project. they are making recommendation to the maps three advisory board and those recommendations go to the city council. now it's most of you know, with the maps model we pay for these projects with cash so it takes a while to collect a penny until the project, but it should be interesting to watch over the next two years to say the least. here's a status report of most start with the senior health and wellness centers to expect poorer facilities to be built. the first centers in the process to be developed right now. in 2012, this year look for the

first site to be selected in the first building to be designed. construction on the first owner should take pace in 2013. the jogging and biking trail committee has been very busy. i've been concentrating their work on a trail that will connect the oklahoma river. construction they will begin in 2013. the sidewalks that come with maps we will be in two phases. subcommittees working on a master plan right now. construction on the sidewalk should begin no later than 2014. in the meantime you'll see lots of other sidewalk being constructed around the city, but most came from the bond issue we passed in 2007 and not for maps. the convention center is the biggest of the projects. the site has been somewhat. i would expect the land to be acquired sometime later this year. the streetcar subcommittee has been very busy. the santa fe station has been

selected as the site to the multimodal hub and this year will begin the process of acquiring that size. 2012 should be a year a year and missed a lot of the engineering work considering the streetcar is accomplished. the subcommittee is working on a downtown park are making good progress, planned acquisition is going well. this year expect some steps towards developing a master plan. we are also going to be bringing in the environmental engineer to start working on the upper part. the subcommittee looking after the river improvement is on three different bases. the lighting, wind streams in the whitewater facility in a lot of design work should be completed this year. finally the fairground, the consultants hired to refine the master plan. i expect some of that work will start to emerge before the end of the year. as for project 180, i assume i don't have to tell this group all about it. you couldn't have gotten into this building without seeing. it involves parks and was

downtown. over 10 miles of new roads have hardy been completed. 557 trees have been planted. 11 new intersections upon the traffic signals and crosswalks have been completed. over 200 bytes have been added for pedestrian traffic in over 100 new flights have been sold for vehicles. 2011 was in fact a big year for completing or nearly completing several big projects. the myriad botanical gardens has reopened and is living up to all the expectations. raise your hand if you a chance to visit the myriad botanical gardens in seattle at the improvements? is quite amazing. the entire city is very proud of it. the improvement of chesapeake energy arena continues. the sections on the arena completed our significant upgrade over what had originally. large expansion on the south with site content is under

construction and will be ready by next season. the oklahoma city sky dance bridge is virtually complete. it is a truly iconic piece of art will be visible to over 100,000 visitors a day. and of course, the new section of i. 40 itself is in the final stages of completion. reality ribbon-cutting for the eastbound lanes earlier this month. how about another show of hands. how many of you have already been on the new highway? okay, virtually everyone here. it looks fantastic and i know kerry ripley is here today. thank you for you in your stats are come on this. we appreciate the department of transportation. westbound lanes will be opening soon and then we will start to work on the boulevard that is going to replace the old alignment. the boulevard is under engineering right now. all told, this project is the largest civil engineering investment in state history and once again, let me think the state department transportation and please show your appreciation to our friends.

[applause] on the oklahoma river come the chesapeake finish line power is completed. former elements of what is becoming the finest venue in the world for the sports of growing, canoe and kayak. at the fairgrounds, more investment in the porsche business. we remain the horseshoe capital of the world. 2011 was probably the biggest year we've had for retail in a long, long time. the other shops of oklahoma city upon august the here sunflower market open in august and whole foods opened a 35,000 square-foot store n-november appears to officials with whole foods tell us it was one of the top launches in their chains history. and as for event, well, it doesn't get much bigger than the

nba playoffs. that better advanced all the way to the western conference finals in 2011. [applause] simply put, nothing puts our city's brand under the worldwide stage in a positive manner better than our basketball team. soon after we departed the nba playoffs, espn is back in town for another one-week run at the women's college girls. millions are now watching these answer hall of fame stadium in last year once again we set another attendance record. and finally mentioned at the beginning we had a lot of new people arriving in oklahoma city. not all of them are people. at the zoo, train to come our first-ever baby elephant was born on april 15. she waved 304 pounds at birth and she eventually