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.

Monday, October 25, 2010

Update: October 25, 2010

Good Afternoon MJ:

Here’s some items of interest and other info to share:

1. Halloween: Sunday, 31 Oct. There’s been a couple inquiries about pushing it to Saturday. While we appreciate the concern, those who have been in the area for a while indicate that when the dates are shifted what usually ends up occurring is confusion and two Halloween’s.

2. Adopt a pet this week! The Shelter numbers are running high, so there’s lots of great dogs and cats to choose from. The Shelter Volunteers could also use you. What a wonderful way to donate a few hours each week to your community. For more info call Sgt Youmans or Dawn at the MJ Animal Shelter, 773-5533.

3. Wilson County Mayor Hutto will be in MJ City Hall this Wednesday from 0830 to 1000. The Veteran’s Affairs Rep, J.C. Satterfield will also accompany him. If you have any questions or concerns about county or VA matters, this is your opportunity, on a first come/first serve basis, to speak with the County Mayor.

4. There’s been good progress on construction of the West Division Greenway and the North MJ Road (NMJR) widening project. We’re projecting Phase 1 of the Greenway should be done by December while the NMJR widening effort as early as next October, and hopefully “drivable” well before that. Rain and cold weather play tremendously in both initiatives, so all projections are predicated around reasonable construction weather.

5. Here’s some news from the Economic Development front:
• Cheddar’s should be opening mid or late November. Their looking to hire up to 150 employees.
• Lexon Insurance has closed on property on Lebanon Road. There’s some great plans for Lexon, and we hope to have more details in the near future.
• Zaxby’s should be starting construction very soon on their new restaurant at Providence Commons.
• Del Sol Mexican Restaurant should be opening with the next 4 to 6 weeks.
• NTB Tire and Battery is well under construction across from Paddocks. They should open within eight weeks.
• World Champion Productions, a ballroom dance organization, has signed a lease at Coolview Commons. Break out those dancing shoes!
• A Sushi Restaurant has signed a lease at Coolview Commons.
• A new dry cleaners is scheduled for Coolview Commons soon.
• A mobile phone provider has signed a lease at Mt. Juliet Village, located beside El Comal Mexican Restaurant.
• Meristone Assisted Living should be breaking ground soon on a new 50k sq feet assisted living facility in Providence. The new facility will include 60 to 72 beds and a memory care center.

Wow! There’s more in the mill. Since new business benefits us all, remember, we are all Economic Development Officers for MJ. Also, please don’t forget the merchants who are slugging it out during the NMJR widening project. They need your support and business. “Shop Mt. Juliet!”

Eiize Patton School is hosting a celebration of fine arts and business this Saturday from 0900 to 1600. Come join over 60 vendors with arts and crafts from across Middle Tennessee . . . pottery, fiddle demos, an art gallery, a climbing wall and inflatable slide, and even Baskin Robbins will be on site. See you there!

A couple final notes: take a look at a new feature on the MJ Homepage; the "I want to . . . " menu item in the top left. Want to keep up with crime in your neighborhood? Go to “I want to -> Get” then click on “Crime Reports”. There are several new or existing features that will be rolled into this section. Also, if you are interested in knowing when the city will be doing chipper service in your neighborhood, please register on the top right homepage menu item under “New chipper Service Notifications”. Help spread the word that “Rudy” is coming to town for the Christmas parade (11 December). Don’t know about “Rudy”? Check out the 2010 Christmas Parade menu item at the lower left of the homepage. Special thanks to our sponsors, 2 Rivers Ford, Best Buy, U.S. Community Credit Union and ITR Towing for making the 2010 parade possible.

Until next time, take care and God Bless.

R. Robertson
Posted by at
Labels: , , , , , , ,

No comments:

Post a Comment

Subscribe to: Post Comments (Atom)