A little over one year after winning the City of Craig’s mayoral election, Mayor Jarrod Ogden delivered his first State of the City address to residents, albeit in an unconventional fashion.

Mayor Ogden released a three-page State of the City address Monday morning addressing city residents.

“As your Mayor delivering my first State of the City address, I have been humbled this past year as I’ve observed the sheer tenacity, integrity and inventiveness of our citizens, our young people, our business owners and entrepreneurs and the dedication of our public servants. I can confidently say that the City of Craig, based on the resolve of its citizens, has yet to see its finest days.” Ogden wrote.

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In his three-page address, Mayor Ogden highlighted the audio/visual improvements inside Council Chambers to allow live broadcasting of council meetings to the community, as well as a more active use of digital marketing, and the launching of a new website for the city to regularly updates its residents as positive steps forward.

Mayor Ogden also addressed the retooling the city has undergone, highlighted by the fiber optic broadband system that was starting in 2019 and will be finished by the end of 2020.

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“…the City of Craig will have an excellent fiber optic broadband system that will meet the needs of location neutral workers wanting to relocate to Craig and engage in developing products in the area of cyber security, programming, internet marketing and analytics, data storage and potentially blockchain application development, to name a few. This effort and design started with the City of Craig and 43 local anchor institutions working to develop the initial plan that has since been implemented and enhanced by YVEA. Our continued commitment to the infrastructure, aesthetics and amenities of our city will attract these businesses and remote workers to Craig,” Mayor Ogden wrote.

Additionally, the fiber optic broadband system will also help with the new co-work/innovation space in Craig, which will be the old Yampa Building later this year.

Mayor Ogden also addressed a couple of changes City Council made for residents, including changing the election date to coincide with county elections, along with adding retail marijuana to the ballot.

City Council also saved the Museum of Northwest Colorado in the fall of 2019, approving $300,000 for continued operations in 2020, increasing sales taxes, and pushing for the Shared Use Path Development from County Road 7 to Riford Avenue.

There was one project that Mayor Ogden was most proud of in his address though, which also happened to be the most successful locally.

“There are a number of activities endorsed by your City Council, but one of the most successful in 2019 has been the Small Business Grant program. We participated in dollar for dollar matched grants that aided in new business start-ups and capital acquisition, which directly and indirectly supported the employment of 7-8 new employees in our community. We also participated in enhancing the facades of 9 other businesses throughout the City of Craig,” Mayor Ogden wrote.

In closing his address, Mayor Ogden addressed COVID-19 and the impact it’s having locally. With the stay-at-home order in affect, schools closed until the end of the month at the earliest, and most small businesses closed, Mayor Ogden made a plea to residents.

“Our local businesses are a vital part of our way of life and helping to secure their future will further secure the future of our City. Much of the economic well-being of our City, its infrastructure and quality of life will depend on the survival of our small business community.

“To the degree possible, I ask that every resident of Craig come together during this crisis to assist in the effort to save our businesses and provide for each other as the need arises. We face an invisible enemy that must be defeated and as we support each other, let’s allow our humanity shine in the face of this pandemic.

“The citizens of Craig are resilient, tough and independent. We care about each other and will do whatever is necessary to support each other and our families throughout this crisis.”

jcarney@craigdailypress.com