BIDDEFORD — While Gov. Paul LePage addressed Mainers in his “State of the State” address on Tuesday night, Biddeford Mayor Alan Casavant addressed his city’s own residents in his own “State of the City” address.

“Here we are in 2017 and the “Biddosance,” as I like to call it, is in full swing,” Casavant said, closing Tuesday’s City Council meeting. “Having grown up in Biddeford, I could not have predicted, 50 years ago, the renaissance of this old mill town.”

Casavant attributed Biddeford’s economic growth — including the establishment of critically-acclaimed restaurants, high profile clothing retailers and artistic venues — to the closure of the Maine Energy Recovery Co. incinerator in 2012.

He also praised the City Council at the time for taking a risk in buying and demolishing the facility, an act he said paved the way for Biddeford’s development.

The move, he said, reversed a, “mantra of all that was wrong with the city” as jobs eroded following the construction of the Maine Mall in the 1970s and the multiple recessions that have followed.

“Biddeford is no longer an old, struggling mill town,” Casavant said. “It is hip. It is energetic. It is cutting edge.”

Casavant did take a moment to express his belief that Biddeford’s ongoing renaissance cannot continue without additional parking, which city officials have for months said a lack of which has prevented several high-profile companies from coming to the city.

City Manager Jim Bennett said in a November council meeting two major employers, which have not been named, decided to seek other locations for their headquarters due to a lack of parking in Biddeford’s downtown district. He said those companies could have provided at least 650 jobs.

“Parking is our albatross,” Casavant said. “Unless a parking structure is constructed, without using property tax dollars, maximum development of the mill spaces and downtown cannot occur.”

Casavant said the city cannot allow its progress to be hindered because of people’s apprehension.

“The construction of a garage is a tough decision. It is bold. It is controversial. It is costly.  It is unlike anything that we have ever done, but doing nothing is not an option,” he said. “It would be our greatest failure.

“We need a garage, and we need it yesterday,” Casavant added, noting that since the closure of the incinerator, 100 percent of all downtown properties were sold at higher than assessed values — which he cited as evidence that maximum development of the mill district is necessary.

Casavant went on to praise the Biddeford School Department and Superintendent Jeremy Ray, saying he has been “instrumental” in transforming the school system. He lauded University of New England President Danielle Ripich, who will retire this year, for her commitment to connecting the university with the rest of the Biddeford community.

“UNE … has become an exceptional partner in the community, and a world class leader in education and research,” he said. “I want to thank (Ripich) for all that she has done for our city.  Because of her vision, more students are involved in volunteering, in our parks, in our schools, on our streets, and in our theater.”

Casavant also praised the City Council for remaining civil in its decision making, not taking matters personally when times of dissent arise.

He did say the city is not without its challenges. Namely, he targeted the opioid crisis as Biddeford’s sole hurdle to overcome.

“The opioid crisis is such an issue.  A plague that is devastating cities across America, the effects of addiction have caused much heartache in our community,” he said.

Casavant said efforts to combat the epidemic recently put in place offer hope to a community saddled with addiction issues. He pointed out the the creation of the joint Biddeford-Saco Opiate Outreach Initiative, designed to meet those with substance abuse disorders “where they’re at,” is a step in the right direction.

He also said UNE’s Coastal Healthy Communities Coalition and Project Alliance, and the Rotary Club’s Red Ribbon Committee have done exceptional work in the city’s educational institutions, and the Biddeford Police Department’s Street Crimes Unit has done “remarkable” work.

Casavant took the opportunity to address what he says has been a proliferation of “fake news” regarding city business that has come about recently. He said such news has exacerbated a “caustic polarization that exists, within our community, within our state, and within our nation.”

“We need to stop throwing each other under the bus,” he said. “We need to learn to address issues and not personalities. We need to transcend the pettiness that could harm our economic revival. We need to not only talk, but learn how to listen.”

Despite his reservations, Casavant said he is excited to work with Saco in its joint efforts with Biddeford, and wants to address several concerns of his regarding affordable housing and the needs of future generations — which he said will require, “all hands on deck.”

“We have all of the unique characteristics that can make this city special and desirable,” he said. “I believe that we are moving in the right direction to accentuate those positives, create the particular experiences needed in this new economy, and thus resurrect and sustain prosperity.”

— Staff Writer Alan Bennett can be contacted at 282-1535, ext. 329 or [email protected].