West Point Mayor Richard Ciresi said his first year as mayor was mainly focused on addressing issues he did not know existed when he took office.
With a full year under his belt and what he called a committed city council, Ciresi said he is looking forward to getting into agenda items he campaigned on.
“Streets, sidewalks, and then to expand our parks and expand our tourism attractions to bolster our economy, and then the big thing is just development to be able to build new homes” Ciresi said.
The mayor has a number in mind when it comes to development.
“My commitment is to build at least 120 new homes in West Point,” Ciresi said. “I think we can build more than that. We have plenty of space to do it, but we just need to expand our population.”
Ciresi said the West Point community is poised for significant self-improvement.
“We, as a small city that has kind of slipped over the past several years, we just have a tremendous opportunity to make great changes that enhance not only the city but all of its citizens,” Ciresi said. “That old adage, ‘a rising tide lifts all boats’, that’s really true in a city of our size because it’s a city that’s better, everybody’s life will get better, just because they live in a nicer place.”
The city received grant money in the past year to improve access to tourism attractions such as Fort Duffield Park.