State of the Town Address - Mayor Kwasi A. Fraser February 11, 2019 - Town of Purcellville

State of the Town Address

       Mayor Kwasi A. Fraser
        February 11, 2019

Welcome
Thank you for the opportunity to present this 2019 State of the Town Address.
         Over the last five years, I have been honored to convey to our citizens the accomplishments,
challenges, and visions for Purcellville.
         Last year, while the public's attention was focused on the personnel investigations, the town’s
staff continued to deliver a high level of services to our community. With transparency, your town
government provided public disclosure of the direct and indirect costs and an investigative report,
which resulted in our Chief of Police being welcomed back to full duty in August.
         The operational assessment, conducted in the third quarter 2018, confirmed the resiliency
and efficiency of our staff and presented strategic recommendations to enhance operational and
service deliveries to our citizens.
         The collective efforts of your Town Council, Operational Team, Committees, Commissions, and
Boards, and you as our citizens as well as the business community have brought us to this moment of
declaration that the State of our Town is strong and thriving. Undoubtedly, our varied
accomplishments reflect our abilities to deliver what we promise, to create and to preserve value, and
to manage our assets.

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Purcellville’s Vision and Mission

VISION – “Purcellville ‐ your small Town, where history and progress
intersect and people prosper.”

MISSION ‐ To provide leadership, stewardship, and policies that
produce a vibrant community where residents delight in living,
participating and welcoming visitors.

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Purcellville’s Core Values
CORE VALUES – The following Core Values guide our behavior and help govern how we will work as
a Town Council in addressing our mission and discharging our duties:
1. Accountable Always. We acknowledge ownership of            4. Teamwork with Purpose. We function as a team
   the decisions we make and the actions we take and we          and in partnership with the Town’s administrative
   accept responsibility for the resulting outcomes without      staff are committed to creating a superior work
   exceptions or excuses.                                        environment for our town employees who, in turn, are
                                                                 committed to delivering exceptional services to the
2. Integrity First. We will conduct ourselves at all             citizens and residents of Purcellville.
   times in a manner that is ethical, legal, and
   professional with an unwavering commitment to              5. Transparency in All Decisions. The process by which
   honesty, fairness and respectfulness.                         deliberations are initiated, decisions are made and
                                                                 actions are taken will always be done with a
3. Innovative Stewardship. We will challenge the                 commitment to full transparency.
   status quo with regard to the way public services
   are designed, financed, and delivered to the citizens of
   Purcellville and we will manage our community
   resources with the present and future generations in
   mind.

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Key Focus Areas
   Operations
   Public Safety and Emergence Response Engagement
   Financial Picture
   Business‐Friendly Community
   Parks and Recreation, The Arts and The Environment
   Youth and Community Engagement
   Bringing Tax Dollars Back to Purcellville
   The Road Ahead

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The Road Ahead
Our town continue to spark positive impressions with citizens, businesses and visitors. We will
continue to provide opportunities for our youth, to attract visitors through retention of our small town
character and invite unique businesses.

 Parks and Recreation
     Fireman’s Field and Tabernacle new programs advancements
     Connected Trail System
     Bike and Skate Park Public Private Partnership

 Economic Advancement
     Water reclamation and wastewater treatment extension to established communities
       in serious need
     Identify and pursue opportunities in agricultural growth opportunities – Hemp, Hops, and
      Horses, and Precision agriculture
     Broadband expansion and competition
     Cell Tower 2 Deployment
     Agricultural and technological innovation at Aberdeen property

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The Road Ahead (continued)
 The Arts
     Implement town murals in partnership with local businesses
     Continue the success of the film festival in partnership with Franklin Park
     Western Loudoun first Comic exposition
     Train Station Museum

 The Environment and Community
     Being a good neighbor – Extending Western Loudoun’s best in class wastewater treatment
      processing and management to neighboring towns in need, without spurring development
     Pursue sustainability activities at the Aberdeen property
     Implement the Tree Canopy Improvement Program
     Carbon footprint mapping
     Implement the Managed Hunt Program for Staff and our citizens

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The Road Ahead (continued)
 The Infrastructure
     Lobby state and federal officials to accelerate the construction of Route 690/Route 7
      Interchange – Top Priority Traffic Congestion Solution
     Secure regional, state, federal, and enterprise funds for infrastructure improvements
     Design and Engineering Services for 12th Street Drainage and Road Improvements
     Construction of
           Hirst Farm Pond from a sediment basin to a Level 1 wet pond
           Hirst Road Safety Improvements
           Main Street and Maple Avenue improvements
           Nursery Avenue Roadway and Drainage Improvements

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Conclusion
       To conclude, as with many other towns across our nation, Purcellville has and
       will continue to experience challenges that test us, yet I remain confident that
       we will persevere in maintaining the safe, healthy quality of life, small town
       atmosphere, and positive values that we want for the place that we call
       home.

The State of the Town is Strong.

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Thank you again for the opportunity to serve you and to present the 2019 State of the Town Address.
It has been my pleasure to listen to your ideas and concerns and to work with the staff, volunteers, and
council to make Purcellville an exemplary community rooted in small town character, economic
strength, operational resiliency, and strategic determination.

I thank our entire staff for their professionalism, dedicated service, and patience throughout the past
year and look forward to their continued support.

To my wife, Angela, and my children Darius, Naomi, and Jeremy, I greatly appreciate your patience,
prayers, love, and support as I continue my public service to the community.

To those of you who have sat through meetings, have volunteered at events, and have given tireless
hours to accomplish the mission for the citizens of this great town, thank you for your generosity.

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