MUSCATINE, Iowa — What is the state of Muscatine?
That is the question Mayor Brad Bark answered during a virtual State of the City address Thursday night.
"How do we continue to make Muscatine a place people want to live?" Mayor Bark said.
Bark said city leaders are focused on attracting and retaining its residents.
"We've got jobs. People want to come to Muscatine. Check mark, that's great," Bark said. "If we could just capture some of those people to live here, that will help our community significantly."
Bark said 9,000 people drive into the City of Muscatine each day.
"Thirty percent of our teachers drive into Muscatine every day," Bark said.
That is why the city adopted a housing plan to help meet that need.
"It's been estimated more than 200 housing units have been completed or initiated here in the City of Muscatine, which gets us really close to that 300 housing plan goal of 300 units in three years," Bark said in his virtual State of the City Address.
Bark explained the city is working with developers to create more housing options in the future, specifically designed for working individuals and families.
"We need a whole slew of low, middle to high-income housing," Bark said.
Also in the virtual address, Bark cited safety concerns with a possible merger between the Canadian Pacific and Kansas City Southern railways.
"All of a sudden the train stops on the riverfront," Bark said. "Let's say there's an emergency on the riverfront. What are we going to do about that?"
According to the train merger's website, train traffic could potentially triple by the year 2027 if the merger were to be approved.
Bark said city leaders are also looking at potential options to address those concerns as a community.
"Obviously we want to see Muscatine grow, so it takes everybody," Bark said.
The mayor's pre-recorded address included answering questions from community members.
You can watch the mayor's full address here.