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.

Sunday, February 21, 2010

Update: 2/21/10

Good Afternoon MJ:

It’s Sunday afternoon and wow, what a beautiful day. I visited Charlie Daniels Park after church today, and it was packed. As I walked around a few park users told me how pleased they were to see the positive direction the MJ Parks and Rec system is taking. If you haven’t been to one of our three parks recently, I’d encourage you to check them out. Have a dog? We’ve got Wilson County’s only “Bark Park” at the South Park off Belinda Parkway. Like softball? There’s still time to get involved in Mundy Park league action for the spring. Give Mr. Tim Henson a call at 758-6522. If softball isn't your style, then try Frisbee Golf at Mt. Juliet’s only course located at Mundy Park. I understand the Frisbee course is so popular “golfers” had to wait for a “tee time” yesterday! At Charlie Daniels Park lots of work is underway in preparation for the “Easter Eggstravanza” scheduled for the last couple weeks of March, and culminating with our annual “Easter in the Park”, on Saturday, 27 March. Acting Director of Parks and Rec, Mr. Rocky Lee, and his crew are pulling out the stops to put a shine on Charlie Daniels Park. The new weight room should be up and operational by then, the skate park in going full blast, and the meeting room is available for your special events. Visit a park today.

The improved weather also means the pace of work is picking up on the North MJ Road (NMJR) widening project. Navigating NMJR was always a challenge, but during the construction it can be even more daunting. Plan your trips accordingly, but don’t forget our local merchants along the road. TDOT and the contractors are completely committed to ensure every one of them are accessible. These men and women rely on you and your business now more than ever, so “Shop Mt. Juliet”. For the latest update on the NMJR road project, you can tune into Assistant Public Works Director “Cajun” Joyner’s broadcast on Channel 3 or simply go to the city’s homepage (www.cityofmtjuliet.org).

If you haven’t checked out the city’s home page recently then you’ve missed a couple new items. First, we have a language translator that can handle anything from Albanian to Yiddish, and 50 languages in between. If you have friends, families or businesses connections overseas that might be interested in MJ, tell them to check out the translator. We’ve also partnered with CGI Communications to do a short video brief on Mt. Juliet. This project, done at no cost to the city, promotes several local MJ businesses, and is a good starting point for first time city web visitors. The CGI link can be found on the bottom left of our homepage. We also just received our completed electronic codification “book” from the contractor, and plan to have a link to it within the next few weeks (after a couple readings by the city Board of Commissioners). This initiative allows visitors, from the comfort of their home, to research city ordinances and resolutions back to the 1970’s.

A final note, the last week we’ve seen a great deal of interest in adoptions at the MJ Animal Shelter. A couple of local television stations noted our census was growing, and our citizens rose to the challenge. I’m pleased to report that today there are only 15 animals in the Shelter. And while one is too many, it’s good to know the deep cord of support the Shelter runs with the public. Thanks.

Until next time, take care MJ and God Bless.

R. Robertson
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