In mid-October, the city announced that the Utah Performance Center on Main would be built at 135 S. Main. The city is in the final stages of acquiring the site and is exploring funding options for the project and other Salt Lake arts organizations, Becker said.

"This Utah Performance Center is strategic," he said. "It is not a stand-alone project. It is a piece of a bigger downtown picture. It is part of our city's infrastructure and will serve as a major draw in the heart of our state's cultural center."

In addition, the mayor said the city soon will announce a partnership that will allow the Salt Lake Regional Athletic Complex to be constructed as envisioned when approved by voters in 2003. The price tag for the project exceeded estimates and could not be built with the $15.3 million bond and a $7.5 million contribution from Real Salt Lake, Becker said.

As proposed, the complex will have as many as 20 soccer fields and four to six baseball or softball diamonds, along with parking, concessions and restrooms at the site near I-215 and 2200 North.

"I am hopeful construction can begin in late fall of this year," Becker said.

Later this year, the mayor plans to present plans for a short, initial segment of a streetcar line "to help us accelerate the pace of downtown development."

Becker spent much of his 36-minute State of the City report recapping accomplishments of the city and its employees in areas such as economic development, transportation, public safety, education and sustainability.

"We have gone through a lot together, and we have much to do," he said. "I am hopeful from a promising year ahead."

State of the City

COMMUNITY AND ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT

• Launched small-business initiative.

• Revamped the Community and Economic Development Department.

• Improved planning division customer service, reducing average turnaround time for permit approval to 4-6 weeks.

TRANSPORTATION

• Broke ground on airport light-rail project.

• Created a bikeway and trails coordinator position.

• Added new bike lanes, including experimental shared lane on 200 South.

PUBLIC SAFETY

• Formed the Gang Reduction Forum.

• Saw violent crime drop 4 percent.

• Hired a new fire chief, Tom Shannon.

EDUCATION

• Hired an education partnership coordinator, Joanne Milner.

• Created the Service in the City scholarship.

SUSTAINABILITY

• Created the Division of Sustainability and the Environment.

• Completed carbon footprint for municipal operations.

GOVERNMENT/LEADERSHIP

• Introduced the Greater Transparency for Collaborative Government initiative.

• Created the Mutual Commitment Registry.

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E-mail: jpage@desnews.com