The expansion of Bell Boulevard, the downtown, and business growth, were all highlights of the State of the City Address by Belleville Mayor Mitch Panciuk.
Wednesday morning, Panciuk spoke at the Belleville Chamber Breakfast, where he highlighted all that has been done in the first six months of the current council’s mandate.
He says council and staff have big decisions to make, but there is a renewed optimism. According to Statistics Canada, Belleville is the 14th fastest growing municipality in the country.
On the downtown, he says years of infrastructure upgrades, and chaos with the BDIA board are now over. Panciuk says his message to the board before the election was frank and direct. He says they needed to step up.
New sites for Hexo Corp. and Costco, upgrades to Vision Transportation, P&G, and the 30th anniversary for Hannon Auto Systems were also discussed.
Panciuk says one of the highlights in council’s new term was the trip to Gunpo South Korea, where he met the leadership of Hannon Auto Systems. They have a location in Belleville.
He says it was the first visit to their site by a Belleville dignitary. Panciuk says he received a surprise of his own from the CEO.
You can listen to the entire address below. Chamber officials say the breakfast was the largest they have had to date.
