Wichita Mayor Jeff Longwell gave his first State of the City address Thursday.
Unlike past addresses, this one was released in the form of an 11-minute video shot at various locations around Wichita, including Wichita State University’s under-construction Innovation Campus and downtown’s Pop-Up Park.
In the video, Longwell touts what he considers the city’s successes in 2015 and outlines goals for the coming year. Highlights from last year include:
-The opening of the new terminal and parking garage at the Dwight D. Eisenhower National Airport;
-The approval of a new “splash park” and two Community Improvement Districts along west Kellogg near the new airport;
-$180 million of development initiated along Douglas Avenue as part of Project downtown;
-Approval of a new downtown library called the Advanced Learning Center;
-The completion of a two-year program to repair thermal cracks throughout the city;
-The hiring of Police Chief Gordon Ramsay;
-And a plan to implement all police officers with body cameras under the police department’s extensive organizational assessment.
Longwell says the city’s finances—council members approved a $227 million budget—are “in good shape,” but that the city is still working to implement new efficiencies and improve the budget process.
You can watch the full address here: