February 3, 2003

On January 24, the Conference of Mayors recognized eight outstanding public/private partnerships with awards presented at the Conference's 71st Winter Meeting. The two cities that received the top Award for Excellence are Denver and Long Beach. The six cities that received the Outstanding Achievement Award include Atlanta; Buffalo; Elizabeth (NJ); Honolulu; Kenosha (WI); and Washington, DC.

"Now more than ever it is important to work in step with our business partners. It is critical that, as mayors address the challenges and opportunities facing our cities, they work closely with the private sector to find creative solutions to the issues that impact both cities and businesses," said New Orleans Mayor C. Ray Nagin, Chairman of the Mayors and Business Community Task Force.

The Mayors' Business Council established the awards to encourage businesses and cities to work together as city resources become stretched and the need for local community improvements increases. This year's recipients were chosen by an independent panel of judges for demonstrating civic responsibility and corporate commitment to economic development; urban revitalization; workforce development; affordable housing; youth literacy, and water conservation.

"Today we celebrate important partnerships between cities and businesses. Together, mayors and the business community are tackling important issues like jobs, housing, Brownfield's redevelopment and infrastructure redevelopment to improve the quality of life in our cities," said Conference President Boston Mayor Thomas M. Menino. "We commend all the winners of these awards for their efforts."

Following is a brief description of each partnership and award recipient:

Awards for Excellence

• City of Long Beach and Verizon — The city of Long Beach and Verizon partnered to help the city's burgeoning non-English speaking immigrant community to grasp important English language fundamentals and increase test scores of its elementary school students. When the city's Strategic Plan identified the education of its children as the top priority, Verizon Communications provided the city with one million dollars to fund youth literacy programs.
• City of Denver and MWH Americas, Parsons, and URS Corporation — The city of Denver partnered with MWH Americas, Parsons Corporation and URS Corporation and other private sector partners for the Stapleton International Airport Development Project. When complete, the project will provide 30,000 homes and 35,000 jobs for Denver residents. More than 750,000 square feet of retail space is now under construction. Last year, the Stapleton Redevelopment Project was awarded the prestigious Stockholm Partnership for Sustainable Cities Award.

Outstanding Achievement Award Winners

• City of Atlanta and Fannie Mae — Fannie Mae and the city of Atlanta partnered to re-develop and re-energize the Pryor Road Corridor. The revitalization began in 1994 with the construction of nine new homes, creating the city's first mixed-use neighborhood.
• City of Buffalo and Johnson Controls, Inc - The city of Buffalo's Joint Schools Construction Board and its private sector partners, led by Johnson Controls, are exploring new ways to bring the city's schools into the 21st Century. Already more than $70 million has been invested in technology upgrades, including Internet access in every classroom.
• City of Elizabeth and Cherokee Investment Corporation -The 1.3 million square foot 200 store Jersey Gardens Mall that opened in 1999 at OENJ Cherokee's Elizabeth Metro Center rests on over one million cubic yards of treated, contaminated dredged material. Economic benefits include $3.6 million in new tax revenues and 4,000 new jobs.
• City and County of Honolulu and U.S. Filter - To meet the deadline of a consent decree requiring the municipality to recycle 10 million gallons of water per day, Honolulu partnered with US Filter to construct a water recycling facility combining engineering, construction and operation under one selection process and designed to produce two grades of beneficial water reuse.
• Kenosha, WI and DaimlerChrysler - When DaimlerChrysler closed its Lakefront Assembly Plant, the city of Kenosha, WI realized the potential of the site. Daimler Chrysler conducted an extensive site clean up, donated the land to the city, and led the way in corporate contributions for the new, 49,000 square floor Kenosha Public Museum which rests on the site.
• Washington, DC and United Water -United Metering Incorporated and the Washington, DC Water and Sewer Authority, partner with Davis Memorial Goodwill Industries to train and employ non-custodial parents. Goodwill, DCWASA and UMI provide Goodwill's clients with the skills and training necessary to work for UMI as meter technicians.

For more detailed coverage of the winning programs, log on to usmayors.org