Good Evening MJ:
Just a short posting tonight to encourage those who read this to consider joining us at the Groundbreaking Ceremony for the expansion of the Rec Center and the new skateboard park at the Charlie Daniels Park. We've linked these two major events together and will hold the ceremony on Wednesday, 4 March, at 4:00 p.m. at Charlie Daniels Park. Representatives from Panattoni Corporation, who are donating the materials and constructing the Rec Center expansion, as well as a member of the Charlie Daniels Band will be on hand. Other guests will include Mrs. Crowe, a teacher from West Wilson Middle School and members of her class who were the catalyst for the skateboard park, members of the MJ Board of Commissioners as well as members of the MJ Parks and Recreation Board. We hope you can join us. The Rec Center expansion project will be the largest tangible gift to the citizens of Mt. Juliet in many years, and was made possible through the generosity of Charlie Daniels and Haynes and Whitfield Hamilton of Panattoni.
We expect the Quiet Zone to be in place sometime this month. We've been working hard on that project and all the equipment has been installed. The wait is for the Federal Railroad Administration to certify and approve the project. On a similar note, the plan is to open bids for the portion of the Eastern Connector commonly known as the "Reverse L" later this month. The MJ BOC has approved a resolution petitioning the leadership of Wilson County to contribute to the road, so we are anxious to see what will occur there.
Thanks to members of Crye-Lieke Reality for their kind gift of $500 to the MJ Animal Shelter. Since opening its doors the Animal Shelter has received over $10k in donations or contributions and has not had to buy any food thus far. Also many thanks to all who have graciously given of their time and energy to volunteer at the Shelter, but we are still in real need of more who are willing to make a standing commitment.
One of the things we are most excited about is after years of need, a couple months ago we executed a contract with a national firm to codify our ordinances. Once done we will load the word searchable program to the city web, allowing easy access and search capability to city rules and regulations. Thank goes to Mrs. Sheila Luckett, the City Recorder, and Mr. Jason Holleman, City Attorney, for leading this long overdue initiative.
Finally, thanks to everyone who supported our recent Tennessee Housing Development Agency grant briefing at City Hall. It was standing room only for this crucial program update that affects many in our city. Ben Stewart and Cindy Raymond of the Greater Nashville Regional Council (GNRC) gave an outstanding presentation on how to apply for these grants. We will run the video program on Channel 3 this Monday, Wednesday and Friday at 4:00 p.m. On that note I want to thank those of you who emailed or called me or Tina at the City Hall front desk expressing your appreciation for televising the recent presentation by Mr. Reggie Dabbs and this one by the GNRC reps. As public servants our job is to serve you. While we always won't get it right, our commitment is do our best.
Have a great week.
Sincerely,
R. Robertson
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.
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.
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