02/03/2024
Mayor Darnell Waites State of the City Update
When I was initially elected in 2016, I was enthusiastic about the future of Baker. Today, I am even more enthusiastic and optimistic about the future of our city. Together, we have accomplished much. As I look ahead to 2024, I am optimistic that we will grow our relationships, come together to achieve our collective community goals, and move Baker Forward Together.
During my time as Mayor, we have faced unprecedented hurdles of floods, hurricanes, and pandemics. Together we faced these challenges and formulated a wide variety of plans with public input that are designed to meet and exceed the needs of the community. I am very proud of what we have achieved together since 2016 and it is my priority to continue to deliver for you.
As my administration continues laying the necessary foundational groundwork that will benefit the city for many years into the future, we continuously reassess our plans to ensure they are delivering the greatest benefit. We have proven that the bedrock of the solid foundation for the City of Baker includes improving quality of life and place, improving infrastructure, and supporting residential and business growth.
I am proud to be able to share with you some of the highlights of my administration’s achievements thus far; this is the proof that our plans are highly successful which can be seen in the increase in revenues the City of Baker has experienced – in June of 2016, our total revenues were $7.622 million. By June of 2023 that number increased nearly $5 million to $12.497 million. That’s a 64% increase!
We have updated Martin Luther King Park by improving the walking path as well as installing a state-of-the-art National Fitness Court. We have improved our city’s transportation options with LYNX by CATS Microtransit. To date this service has provided 94,000 rides and is on track to have provided 100k rides by mid-February. This truly remarkable achievement shows that the community has fully embraced this transportation alternative.
We are further investing in the future for our kids and families by improving recreational programs including the Little League Baseball Field.
We have been honored to grow our partnership with BREC by not only supporting their $300 million dollar investment in Greenwood Park and the Baton Rouge Zoo, but we have also become the municipal utility provider for natural gas to the facilities. Natural gas will be the primary source of power for the facility when it is completed.
We are working with community partners to aid with home rehabilitation, our partnership with Urban Restoration Enhancement Corporation (UREC) and Louisiana Housing Corporation (LHC) has been greatly successful and is improving the structural integrity and safety of homes in the city.
We have resurfaced 70% of the streets in the city, thanks to the increase in revenues.
We are witnessing the first large-scale investment in residential real estate with Sunshine Gardens, the city’s first new residential subdivision in roughly 30 years.
We are working side by side with our parish, state, and federal partners to improve our resiliency and safety. Through FY 2022 we have received $16.5 million in grants that have been used for both the roads as well as ditches and improving our water system infrastructure. I am particularly proud of the A rating our water system received from the LA Department of Health. I am excited that we are adding a second fire station on the west side of Groom Road, which will allow us to better serve the growing community and neighboring areas.
I am very excited about the new High School currently being built on Groom Road and I remain committed to supporting the school system in their endeavors to improve the City of Baker School System’s rating.
I am also very excited to move forward with our plans to invest in new technologies, expand further the City of Baker transportation alternatives including bicycle and pedestrian pathways, and continue to make the necessary infrastructure investments which also increase the value of your investments in your homes and businesses.
I know that Baker is a great place to live and work and have been exceptionally pleased by our recent ranking by Safewise naming Baker as the safest city in the State of Louisiana. And Redfin ranked Baker in the top 10 best places to live in the state of Louisiana.
Together, we have taken giant strides in moving Baker Forward, and we have been extremely successful in a very short period of time. The future is exceptionally bright for Baker, and I look forward to continuing to Move Baker Forward ensuring a healthy and prosperous future for everyone.
My administration is building for the future right now. Let’s move Baker Forward Together.
