Mayor Jorge Prince delivered his first State of the City address.
The annual speech is required by city charter, and while Prince has only served since January, he credited much of the last year’s accomplishments to the previous mayor and council as well as the work of city staff.
Prince discussed the year’s response calls by the police and fire departments, new construction in the city, as well as the pandemic’s challenges over the last year.
Prince also touched on the Sanford Center, which has been essentially closed since March 2020 due to the pandemic.
While closed, the Sanford Center has partnered with the United Way of Bemidji Area to help with food distribution programs, such as Backpack Buddies, which provides non-perishable, easy-to-prepare meals to children.
“The single largest financial challenge is placing the Sanford Center on sound financial footing,” said Prince.
Listen to the full State of the City Address:
