Mayor Millet delivers her final State of the City Address as Lone Tree Mayor
Every race has a finish line. Lone Tree Mayor Jackie Millet says hers is just a few months away. After nearly 20 years of service to the City, four as a planning commissioner, eight as a city council member, and eight as Lone Tree Mayor, Millet will step away from the dais in May.
So, on a warm day in late January, more than 300 members of the Lone Tree community- including regional partners, elected officials, business leaders, volunteers, and residents- gathered at the Lone Tree Arts Center to hear Mayor Millet’s final State of the City address.
The Incredible Race: Lone Tree
Always one to add a bit of flair to her annual address, Millet’s theme for this year’s presentation was timely: The Incredible Race: Lone Tree. Modeled after the CBS hit reality show “The Amazing Race,” Millet led the audience through six legs of a race through the City, prompting the audience to shout answers to clues that covered important topics in Lone Tree.
During the “financial snapshot” portion of the race, Mayor Millet presented on revenues and expenditures. She also reminded the audience that the bonds issued to pay for the Lone Tree Arts Center, Cook Creek Pool, and tennis courts had been paid off in December, decreasing the City’s sales tax from 2.8125% to 2.5%.
Lisha Quintana, owner of Sazón in Lone Tree, chats with Jeff Holwell, Economic Development Director for the City of Lone Tree before the State of the City address.
The Economy leg of the race detailed thriving businesses in Lone Tree. Park Meadows Retail Resort saw a busy holiday season, and attendees learned that the shopping center receives 2.5 million more annual visitors than the Louvre in Paris! Mayor Millet also made sure to shoutout brick-and-mortar businesses in the City, challenging those in attendance to take a picture of a slide with more than 40 restaurants and eat at as many of them as possible in 2024.
During a discussion about Mobility in Lone Tree, Mayor Millet explored the future Mobility Hub and Advancing Lincoln Avenue projects. Attendees also learned about the expansion of the Link on Demand program into Meridian, thanks to a grant from RTD and a partnership with Denver South and Douglas County.
Mayor Millet also provided an update on the Lone Tree Arts Center, making note of how relationships with the business community continue to help provide significant impact programming to the community. Attendees also learned about some upcoming events at the Arts Center, most notably LTAC’s next in-house production- The Mousetrap, which runs April 11-21. Of course, Mayor Millet encouraged attendees to stop by the box office after the event to get their tickets for the show.
The final two legs of the race focused on two key areas for Lone Tree’s future: The Entertainment District and RidgeGate East. Millet talked about revitalization efforts happening in the Entertainment District, including the creation of an Urban Renewal Authority and the City’s purchase and demolition of the property at 9070 Maximus Drive (formerly Treõ). The conversation about RidgeGate East was sprawling, covering everything from the groundbreaking of the new Lokal Homes condominium project (first in more than 18 years!), to the opening of the DCSD Legacy Campus in 2023. Millet also talked about several new City facilities on the horizon for the eastside of Lone Tree, as well as the future 80-acre High Note Regional Park.
Not Finishing the Race Alone
from left to right: City Manager Seth Hoffman, Councilmember Mike Anderson, Mayor Pro Tem Wynne Shaw, Mayor Jackie Millet, Councilmember Marissa Harmon, and Councilmember Cathie Frazzini pose for a photo on stage following the conclusion of the event.
At the conclusion of the event, Mayor Millet acknowledged that she was not the only member of Lone Tree City Council coming to the end of a term. Millet brought Councilmembers Wynee Shaw and Cathie Frazzini on stage to be recognized for their years of service to the City. City Manager Seth Hoffman surprised Mayor Millet with flowers in recognition of her service as well.
The City of Lone Tree would like to thank everyone who joined us at the Arts Center to run the race and celebrate Mayor Millet.
We would also like to recognize our wonderful event sponsors: South Denver Metro Chamber, Sky Ridge Medical Center, Abundant Life Productions, Cranelli’s Italian Restaurant, Shea Homes, Denver South, Park Meadows Retail Resort, Vectra Bank, Michow, Guckenberger,McAskin Law Firm, and Terracare Associates.
View a playlist of the videos show during the 2024 State of the City event: