1. This won’t be a “blog” per se. It isn’t meant to be a place to post all commentary or opinions. Everyone is invited to send in a note, but don’t be offended if it isn’t posted. There’s other sites that are perfectly content to drag through what they believe to be wrong with every issue at every turn. This is about what was done, why and where do we go from here. We won’t talk about two and three year old issues. If the desire is to engage in those discussions then look somewhere else.

2. This isn’t the Board of Commissioner forum. MJ has a City Manager form of government. The Board makes policy; the staff implements. I’ll be happy to pass your comments along to the Board, either good or bad, but the intent of this medium is to address how we could better enact policy and improve city services.

3. The narratives will be directly from me, your city manager. I won’t hide under some pseudonym or other persona. My name is Randy Robertson. My phone number is 754-2552. I am your City Manager. If your issue or concerns involves another department of the city (Public Works, Police, Animal Control, etc.) I will invite the appropriate team member to provide some comments, but it will still be done under the auspices of the City Manager.

4. I will try and be as timely as possible, but this is another one of the “additional duties” for which civil service is renown.

5. The City Staff is here for you. The desired outcome is for us to have a positive relationship with the citizens we serve, but we all know that always won’t happen. Everyone has an opinion. It is the staff’s responsibility to work through the opinions and emotion, meet the requirements of the laws and rules under which we operate, and hopefully serve the greatest number in that process. It is not an exact science. The more we have a relationship with you, the better we can meet your expectations.

6. Finally, this is about telling our story. Hopefully you will be able to sort the myth from reality or see the issue through a different set of lens. I hope you will find this of value and participate.

Saturday, April 11, 2009

Update: 4/11/09

Hello MJ:

Just a short note before Easter to wish all of you a safe and blessed Easter.

Recently I've been asked on more than a couple occasions about what the construction going on in City Hall is. The short answer is we are in the process of expanding our 911 emergency call capabilities and relocating our Police Department dispatch center. Anyone who has ever been inside the Police Department knows how seriously overcrowded and hot the existing Dispatch Center is. Quite frankly as the city and PD has grown the Dispatch Center got left behind. With the forthcoming addition of two "VIPER" 911 units it became patently obvious that the room could no longer physically handle additional equipment. A survey by an electrical contractor also confirmed the existing electrical design was insufficient to handle additional demand.

The plan is to relocate the Dispatch Center to the former City Hall Conference Room, which is also adjacent to the hallway between the city admin services and the PD. This room will be completely upgraded with appropriate safety measures and communication systems installed. At the same time we are consolidating the several computer servers strewn throughout city hall to a central site in a hardened vault and installing a robust generator to handle all automation and emergency communication needs in the event of an emergency. Recent weather conditions, including tornado warnings in the area, are more than sufficient reason to bring our emergency operations capabilities into the 21st Century. We hope these improvements will be transparent to virtually every citizen, but know that over time they will likely be well used.

Finally, I want to attach a note Mr. Martin, your Economic Development Director, recently passed to me. It is a good outline of growth taking place right now inside our city.

In front of Ruby Tuesday will be a new Sherwin Williams Paint Store; across from the Paddocks will eventually be an ALDI Grocery Store; behind the Tiger Market on Red Ink Drive will be a 73 room 4 story Comfort Inn and Suites; south of the Holiday Inn Express on the East Side of Mt. Juliet Road is the Boyle Development or Providence Commons. This is where the new Publix is going; construction should start soon on the new Buffalo Wild Wings close to the Hampton Inn; construction should also start soon on the new Providence Sonic; on Lebanon Road beside Wilson Bank is a new O-Reilly Auto Parts Store under construction; at Falkner is a new 13k sf. retail center under construction; south of Walgreen's (Providence) will contain a new Regions Bank; the Bob Parks location at Rainbow Place will soon contain a church.; the old Burr's location on Lebanon is earmarked for a new coffee shop with drive-thru; Le Bicyclette is under construction in Coolview Commons; Famous Jose Mexican Restaurant is under construction in Coolview Commons; a new vet office is under construction on Industrial Drive; Allyson's Salon just opened in Coolview Commons; and a new Mapco is scheduled to replace old one beside Waffle House.

Again, have a wonderful Easter. Take care.

R. Robertson
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