FAYETTEVILLE — Mayor Lioneld Jordan took time Tuesday to reflect on 2013 happenings and to look forward to the year ahead during his annual State of the City address.

“The state of this city is very sound,” Jordan told aldermen and several dozen residents who attended Tuesday’s City Council meeting.

From sidewalk and street construction to “green” building codes and propane-powered vehicles, Jordan touched on a range of accomplishments and accolades by city staff, elected officials and volunteers during his roughly 45-minute speech.

He began by recognizing the late Judge Rudy Moore, who died April 11 after 22 years presiding over Fayetteville District Court.

He went on to highlight various street projects completed in 2013, including Crossover Road widening between Mission and Joyce boulevards, Cato Springs Road improvements west of South School Avenue and a new roundabout in front of Washington Regional Medical Center.

According to Jordan, the 5.5 miles of trail constructed last year were the most in the city’s history. Many of the projects were paid for in part by grants from the Walton Family Foundation and the Northwest Arkansas Regional Planning as part of the Razorback Greenway that will stretch from south Fayetteville to north Bentonville.

The city’s Transportation Division ratcheted up sidewalk construction in 2013 using turnback money from a half-cent sales tax Arkansas voters approved in November 2012.

“We are in the midst of one of Fayetteville’s most rapid expansions of infrastructure in our history,” Jordan said.

According to Chris Brown, city engineer, construction should begin this year on Razorback Road widening between Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard and Leroy Pond Drive, bridge restoration on Lafayette and Maple streets and Van Asche Drive extension between Gregg and Garland avenues.

Jordan said Fayetteville businesses added more than 800 employees in 2013. Chung Tan, director of economic development, said before Tuesday’s meeting that figure was pulled from business license data and includes about 90 jobs eliminated last year. Tan said Hanna’s Candle Co. alone hired more than 75 workers in 2013. She also mentioned apartment construction, road work and on-campus projects as strong economic drivers.

Alderwoman Adella Gray, the council’s longest serving active member, said she was most pleased to hear about the progression of the recycling program, especially for people who rent apartments. The city’s Solid Waste and Recycling Division used grant money from the Arkansas Department of Environmental Quality to buy recycling containers for several complexes with more than 100 units. The Marion Orton Recycling Center opened on North Street in September, giving nearby apartment dwellers another option for recycling paper, plastics and aluminum.

“We have an obligation as a city to get all of our university students in the habit of recycling,” Gray said.

Residents in November voted to use hotel, motel and restaurant taxes to help renovate and expand the Walton Arts Center and build a regional park in southwest Fayetteville. Connie Edmonston, Parks and Recreation director, said the plan is to begin park construction off Cato Springs Road by the end of the year.

Also in 2013, more than 70,000 people attended programs at the Fayetteville Public Library; staff at the Fayetteville Animal Shelter reduced the shelter’s euthanasia rate to 7 percent; and 38,000 volunteers gave more than 650,000 hours of their time to community service, according to Jordan’s report.

“It was an amazing year,” the mayor said.