The past year has not only been about new contracts for Duluth city employees and the city's $310 million retiree health care liability, Mayor Herb Bergson's said in his annual state of the city speech Monday night.
No doubt, working toward solutions for the problem has filled the mayor's plate over the past year, Bergson said before 400 at the Duluth Entertainment Convention Center.
But he and his administrators also have overseen a number of initiatives in 2006, he said. Those include growth in job creation and private construction, as well as significant progress toward the Salvation Army building an indoor recreation center and re-establishing rail service to the Twin Cities.
Bergson was melancholy during the speech, at times even holding back tears. He is mourning the loss of his older brother, who will be buried Tuesday.
"I believe we're on the verge of some very positive times in our city," Bergson said. "So in a time of what some people see as stagnation, it is really the opposite. We're building. We're growing. And we're re-evaluating. We are seeing the fruits of our growth even now."
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Bergson said that in the past three years, more than 1,000 new single-family homes and townhouses have been built in Duluth. He recognized a number of developers by name, such as Seth Oliver for building condos in the former Water and Gas Department offices and Mark Lambert for his Boulder Ridge and Campus Park student housing projects.
He also said that there has been $592 million in new construction and renovations over the past three years. Bergson said that does not including the proposed $20 million Kroc Center, $15.2 million Heritage Sports Complex and $70 million DECC arena expansion.
In the spirit of the 50-year-old time centennial celebration capsule that was unearthed last year, Bergson also challenged Duluthians to look past the political and neighborhood divisions that have seemingly always existed here. Bergson quoted centennial chairman Fred Lewis, the father of Park State Bank president Dale Lewis, when the elder Lewis implored residents in 1956 to "work together with mutual respect" for the city's prosperity.
Bergson went on to say, "I am constantly amazed at how some people who regularly talk down the name of our city are people who live here...If Duluth is 'anti-business,' than why are developers spending so much money here?''
The key to Duluth's future success will be a spirit of optimism, Bergson said. Duluth is at a crossroads and how our grandchildren view this generation will be decided by how well we all work together, he said.
Councilors Greg Gilbert and Laurie Johnson said they were impressed Bergson's positive message.
"He was exactly on the mark," Gilbert said. "I think people often miss all the good things that are going in our city."
