Big turnout for Hardy’s fourth address

As a physician and politician, Joe Hardy has always been known as a person who wears many hats. But during his annual State of the City address, he took that to a new level.

Last Thursday, hundreds gathered at the Boulder Creek Golf Course pavilion for Hardy’s fourth address as mayor. The theme of his speech was “One team, together.” And by that he didn’t simply mean the city staff who make up a team. Instead, it was all the entities, organizations, businesses and partnerships that make up the Boulder City team.

With teams often come hats. Next to Hardy on stage was a table with nearly 20 different hats, most of which were ball caps with the names of various entities representing those city partners, or teammates in this case.

“Teamwork is critical to success,” he said, followed by a video from the other four members of council. “I appreciate hearing the various perspectives from this team. Each has a special focus, so when we come together to discuss ideas and projects, we can better appreciate the qualities that we may not see at first glance.”

With each new topic such as Hoover Dam, solar leases, grid stability, fiscal strength and ordinance updates, Hardy grabbed a different hat. He led the conversation saying that once all the hats are off the table, the audience will know when his speech is over.

He took time to congratulate Cindi Swanson on being named this year’s recipient of the city’s annual Bill Andrews Award. He praised her for her work in recognizing the accessibility needs within the city and added that she “exemplifies what it means to serve our community. She has, and continues, to impact Boulder City for the better.”

At each table was a handout from the mayor, pointing out various facts about Boulder City, which has a population of just under 15,000. The median household income is $76,402 with a median house value of $401,100. Of the population, 1,987 are veterans and 32% of the population has a bachelor’s degree or higher. There are 1,795 students in Boulder City public schools with a high school graduation rate of 92%. Of the population, 20.7% are those 19 and under while people 65 and over make up 29%.

Some other facts included that in 2025, the fire department responded to 2,132 medical calls, 142 animals were adopted, there are 17 city parks, 413.6 million gallons of wastewater were treated, 1,116 tons of recyclables were processed, the city maintains 88.25 miles of roadway and there were 49,841 passenger enplanements at the airport last year.

Hardy went on to remind people that the city is home to a veteran’s hospital and cemetery. He then talked briefly about the Shane Patton Memorial that is now in place.

Other topics in his speech included plans for Liberty Ridge (formerly Tract 350) and how the sales from that land will be used to cover costs of a new municipal pool. He also mentioned the railroad museum, which is currently under construction as is the adventure center from the Boulder City Chamber of Commerce.

City projects in 2026 include:

■ Municipal Golf Course turf reduction and water conservation project

■ Water conservation projects

■ Lift station improvements

■ Airport control tower

■ City Hall ADA accessibility project

■ RTC-funded projects for the next year include various roadway improvements and the ADA transition plan.

Hardy concluded by saying, “So to sum it up, Boulder City has a wide variety of people, businesses, and interests. We all wear a lot of different hats. We all have a role to play. We are a family team.”