FAIRFIELD – Fairfield had a number of success stories worth celebrating this past year.

Fairfield Mayor Connie Boyer has announced her “Top 10 City of Fairfield Accomplishments for 2023,” and the list demonstrates the many strides the city and its residents have made in just the last 12 months.

#10: Fairfield Arts and Convention Center ticket sales are 50% over pre-pandemic numbers.

One of the nice pieces of news to come from FACC Executive Director Lindsay Bauer’s annual report to the Fairfield City Council was that ticket sales are up big over pre-pandemic levels.

“This is a huge leap for us,” Bauer said in November. “We’ve surpassed where we were before and we’ve opened new horizons.”

Boyer the high attendance figures are a sign of the arts center’s vitality and its role in the town.

“It’s such an important part of our community, and we’re so thankful we have it,” Boyer said.

#9: Renewal of the Capital Improvements Reserve Fund

Fairfield voters approved the renewal of the Capital Improvements Reserve Fund with about 74 percent support during the Nov. 7 elections.

In recent years, the levy has gone toward projects such as the new playground at O.B. Nelson Park, the demolition of the former DOT buildings on West Briggs Avenue, and many other projects such as sealcoating streets, snowplow equipment and the city’s portion of paving 227th Street.

Other projects the city expects to use the CIRF levy on in the near future include repairing the parking lot at O.B. Nelson, resurfacing the road inside Waterworks Park, the lane to the airport, resurfacing a couple of the city’s downtown parking lots, and replacing downtown traffic signals.

Boyer said the public’s vote of confidence in the CIRF levy on Nov. 7 was a sign that Fairfield residents understood the value of the levy to the city.

“From the city’s standpoint, we appreciate the support of the community,” Boyer said.

#8: Housing Study and Action Plan Completed by Housing Task Force

The housing task force, created by the Fairfield City Council, published its study and action plan in 2023, which among other things stated that about 500 homes in Fairfield are dilapidated. Boyer said the task force provided the city with a set of steps to take to improve its housing stock.

“We know we need new housing,” Boyer said. “Now we have a road map.”

#7: New community hires: City Administrator, FEDA Executive, Sustainability Coordinator

Boyer said that 2023 was a year of change, with people in new roles. Among those are the newly hired Fairfield City Administrator Doug Reinert, new Sustainability Coordinator Faith Reeves, and new Fairfield Economic Development Executive Director Ed Malloy, who was previously the city’s mayor for 18 years.

#6: Completion of the Stanley Sound Experience at the Fairfield Arts & Convention Center

The Fairfield Arts & Convention Center received a monumental upgrade to the sound system in the Stephen Sondheim Center for the Performing Arts. The new sound system was installed in September, courtesy of a donation from Fairfield resident Alex Stanley. The new sound system debuted for the first live act in the arts center’s 2023-2024 performing arts season on Oct. 5, with the Eagles tribute band called Hotel California.

“It’s got the best sound in the country,” Boyer said of the arts center’s theater. “Nobody else has it, which is a pretty cool thing to tell the world.”

#5: New playground at Lamson Woods

Fairfield added a brand new playground in 2023 with the opening of the playscape at Lamson Woods State Preserve in early fall. The playscape came courtesy of the Dowd family that owns Cado Ice Cream, and from a grant from the Greater Jefferson County Foundation.

“It’s such a beautiful gift to the community,” Boyer said. “That and the sound experience, those items were 2-3 years in the making. These are both amazing project donated by members of our community who care about fairfield, and they’ll be there for many years, so it’s really cool.”

#4: FEDA land purchase for new housing development

Grow Fairfield Economic Development Association announced in August that it had acquired a 35-acre parcel of land near the Jefferson County Health Center that it will develop into a housing subdivision.

The new subdivision will be called Sunrise Trail Subdivision, and will be accessed from Libertyville Road. The land it’s on is located just southwest of the new Cambridge Little Achievers Child Care Center. The subdivision is expected to accommodate 30-40 new housing units.

Boyer said this represents a major step forward in Fairfield’s plan to provide more housing, and is among the largest subdivisions the city has had in the last 30 years.

#3: MIU 50th Anniversary

Maharishi International University celebrated its Golden Jubilee – 50 years as a university. Over a five-day stretch, the university brought together faculty, students and staff from every era of its history to celebrate the historic occasion.

#2: Creation of county-run service - Jefferson County Ambulance Service

One of the major contributions to the area came courtesy of the Jefferson County Supervisors in 2023 with the creation of a county-run ambulance service.

“It’s been private for a long time, with some challenges,” Boyer said. “The supervisors took the bull by the horns and said, ‘We think we can do this.’ And there were a lot of moving parts. Hats off to the supervisors for creating it and hiring the right people to get the job done.”

#1: Substantial completion of Highway 1 South and roundabout

One of the biggest construction projects the city embarked in in recent years began in May with the reconstruction of a portion of South Main Street (Highway 1) between Fillmore Avenue and Libertyville Road. The new road is wider and can accommodate three lanes, with a center turning lane. The project included creating a roundabout at the intersection with Libertyville Road, plus a new trail along the east side of South Main Street.

Though more construction is planned for April 2024, Boyer said she is thankful that the road is now open and that it is “substantially complete.”

“Thanks for everybody’s patience,” Boyer said. “At least it’s open now. And truthfully, there were a lot of headaches for our city administrator, city engineer and contractors. It was a hard project. There were a lot of things to coordinate.”