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, October 10, 2009

Update: 10/10/09

Good Evening MJ:

It is 8:00 p.m. Saturday evening and I've just left this year's Halloween in the Park. What a wonderful day it was. By our count we had between 6k and 7k ghosts & goblins, princesses, skeletons, Michael Jackson look alikes, pirates and the parents they brought with them; our largest crowd ever according to Commissioner Jim Bradshaw who has been part of Halloween in the Park since the first one. Not only was it the largest but by every comment it was also the best. There are dogs trying to find a home spearheaded by Jon Gray and Marty Potts of our Animal Shelter, Mr. Buddy Brent of U.S. Community Credit was giving away popcorn by the barrel, there were lines for the best costume contests, the petting booths and our wagon ride, and overseeing it all was Mr. Rocky Lee, Acting Parks Director, who is certainly one of the best MC's around. To me "Halloween in the Park" exemplifies the great spirit of Mt Juliet. To the thousands who were there, I hope you enjoyed it as much as I did. I hope to see you at the 24 October Flea market, or if you want to up your calorie burn join Ms. Kat Woodson as she introduces Yoga at the Rec Center. For more info call 758-6522.

The Parks and Rec Crew have really been hustling the last few days. Yesterday the Mayor and Commissioners, Hayne and Whitfield Hamilton of the Panattoni Corporation, along with David Corlew and Angela Wheeler of the Charlie Daniels Band cut the ribbon on our new Rec Center extension building. Over a year in the making, this new, 2,800 square foot facility houses a large meeting room, fully equipped kitchen and an expanded weight room/exercise area. It is a tremendous gift made possible between a three-way partnership between the city, Mr. Charlie Daniels and the Panattoni Corporation. We invite the public to check it out.

In addition to the ribbon cutting on Friday we had a major announcement regarding higher education in Mt. Juliet. After extensive discussions with city reps over the last couple years, Dr. Harvill Easton, President of Cumberland University (CU), announced the January 2010 opening of a division of the CU's School of Nursing to be held here in Mt. Juliet. With primary classrooms done at the Shiloh Plaza on Lebanon Road, CU is also partnering with Mt. Juliet's Environmental Sciences Corporation (ESC) to conduct lab-centric classes at ESC's Lebanon Road complex. This marks the city's first permanent presence for higher education and a milestone in expanded educational, employment and professional opportunities in the community. Many thanks goes to Mr. Peter Schuler of ESC, Dr. Eaton and Mr. Joe Gray of Cumberland University, and the city's own Mr. Kenny Martin for making this long awaited initiative a reality.

Remember, to keep in touch with work on North MJ Road, check out Channel 3, where Mr. Shannon Joyner, Deputy Public Works Director for the City, posts biweekly updates. You'll can also keep abreast of other road and emergency type issues by signing up with Nixle. Just go to the city's home page and join the several hundred who get real time postings about issues across Mt. Juliet.

That's all for tonight. Take care and have a great rest of the weekend.

R. Robertson
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2 comments:

  1. UnknownOctober 11, 2009 at 11:52 PM

    Congrats on the Cumberland expansion in Mt. Juliet. This is a very good thing!

    ReplyDelete
  2. AnonymousOctober 20, 2009 at 12:45 PM

    What is the best way to find out about upcoming events in Mt Juliet? I often read about them after they occur and wish I had known about them.

    Thanks!

    ReplyDelete

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