Good Evening MJ:
A few updates as we head into the weekend:
1. Thanks to a couple of you who have expressed interest in participating in the Community Resiliency System (CRS) initiative which MJ is serving as one of 7 pilot cities in the U.S. If you would like more info on CRS or how to participate, please call Mark Hinesley, President of the MJ/West Wilson Chamber of Commerce, at 758-3478, or me at 754-2552 for more details. Our inaugural meeting will be in early November, so there’s plenty of time to check out some details.
2. September was another great month for sales tax receipts across MJ with nearly $22k more than in September 2010 ($500k v $478k). Remember how important it is to our local economy and our own businesses to “Shop MJ First.”
3. Several local church youth groups are partnering together to host a “Glow Party” at the Charlie Daniels Rec Center on Saturday, 22 October, from 8:00 pm to midnight. A nominal entry fee will be charged which will cover the cost of glow sticks, refreshments, music and more. This promises to be a great event for our teens (13 to 18), and the churches and Parks and Rec Team who are sponsoring this have asked me to encourage all our readers to let your teen’s know this truly great activity. For more info or to help with the cost of the event, call Taylor Bates (566-1660) or Tim Henson (642-6130).
4. Kudos to the MJ Parks and Rec Team and our own PD for great planning and execution of last week’s Halloween in the Park. We estimate about 6k rolled through the park that afternoon, loading up on tons of candy, sun and fun. One of the more interesting things I found from manning the city’s booth is how many of you there were who were already on Nixle. Most of the people I spoke with about signing up said they’ve been on for months and how much they loved the service. For our newcomers, you are an army of nearly 2,300 and growing. Tell your friends to sign up by going to the city’s web page (www.cityofmtjuliet.org) and go to the “Nixle” logo at the bottom left side of the screen.
5. A couple events to be on the lookout for: first, Sam's Sprint 5k Run, this Saturday (15 Oct). Sign up at 7 a.m. with the run/walk starting at 8 a.m. For those who don’t know, Sam's Sprint was created to honor the memory of infant Sam Clark, from here in MJ. Through your kind donations, last year Sam’s Sprint was instrumental in underwriting the cost of creating our “Squirrel’s Run” tot area at Charlie Daniels Park. This year proceeds from the run will go to support the Mt. Juliet Library. What a fantastic way to spend what promises to be a beautiful Fall Saturday morning.
Also, MJ’s own Senior Citizens Center will be holding its own “Celebrate MJ Walk” on Saturday, 29 October, right along North MJ Road. Vicky Yates, News Channel 5 Anchor, will serve as the Honorary Chair and Official “Celebrate Mt. Juliet Walk” Starter for this 6 mile event. Registration starts at 0600, ( yes, that’s 6 a.m. for the rest of you), with opening events at 6:45 a.m. For more details google the “MJ Senior Citizens Activity Center.” Proceeds go to the Center in it’s expanding mission to improve services for our senior population.
6. Did you see the latest edition of the front page of the MJ News? Our own Casey Binion, Project Officer for the NMJR widening project was interviewed, and reiterated, that barring major bouts of inclement weather, all 5 lanes of the road should be “drivable” by the end of the year. While there’s still touch up work to be done, this will be months ahead of what was forecasted when the project started. Many thanks to LoJac, TDOT, the City of MJ, Piedmont Gas, MTEMC, TDS, WWUD, Comcast, and others who have been involved in this tremendously complicated and expensive endeavor. Also, a special thanks to all the businesses and home owners along NMJR, and to our commuters for your patience and consideration. It’s been a long journey but the end is in sight.
7. On a final note, hopefully by early November, we’ll be looking to unveil a major initiative in City Hall with our plans to go to a “311” call in system. You’ll no longer need to remember a whole litany of phone numbers for individual city departments, by using a easy to use, menu driven prompt, you’’ be able to go straight to the department you wish to talk to. There’s still a few more “bugs” to work out, but we’re shooting to be up in the next few weeks.
Have a great weekend. Take care, God Bless and talk with you later.
R. Robertson
Showing posts with label NMJR. Show all posts
Showing posts with label NMJR. Show all posts
Thursday, October 13, 2011
Thursday, September 15, 2011
Update: September 15, 2010
Greetings MJ on this cloudy Thursday:
Here’s a few items of interest and FYI’s from around the city:
We’re getting close to our largest park and recreation event of the year, our annual “Halloween in the Park (HIP).” HIP 2011 promises to be bigger and better than any in the past. On 8 October, the place to be is Charlie Daniels Park. For more info call 758-6522, or go to the Parks and Rec section of the city’s web page (www.cityofmtjuliet.org).
Some good news this month, sales tax receipts for August were up about $27k over the same period in 2010. That’s a little more than a 5% gain, and much better than the dip we took in July. Thanks for Shopping MJ First. Speaking of Shopping MJ, have you noticed the new billboard on the west bound side of I-40 around the Mundy Park area. Special thanks to Decker signs and CPS land for their work on this and for waiving the normal rental cost of the board.
Remember, you can buy Music City Star tickets right here at City Hall. You can also get advanced game day Star express tickets for $15; $5 less than walk up purchases. The game day express will be pulling out of the MJ Station this Sunday for the Titan’s home opener against Baltimore’s Ravens.
The MJ Senior Citizens Center will be hosting a commemorative “Celebrate MJ Walk” on Saturday, 29 October. The walk, which is a recognition of the soon to complete North MJ Road (NMJR) widening project, starts at the Senior Citizens Center and moves north along NMJR and returns the Center. All totaled, it’s 6 miles if you cross the finish line. There will be a special, protein-packed spaghetti lunch and dinner available at the center the day before. All proceeds from the luncheon, dinner and walk go to the Senior Citizens Center. The meals are $7 each, and the walk is $20 (with T shirts available while they last) What a wonderful way to spend a crisp Fall day. For more info call Linda at 557-4703.
Speaking of walks, Nilette Rensch, wanted me to let you know the 2nd annual Huntington’s Disease Walk of Hope will take place this Saturday, 9/17, with registration starting at 8 a.m. and the walk itself starting at 10:00 from Jerry Mundy Park. Last year they raised over $35k to combat Huntington's Disease. HD is a devastating, hereditary, degenerative brain disorder for which there is, at present, no cure. HD slowly diminishes the affected individual's ability to walk, talk and reason, with eventually the person becoming totally dependent upon others for care. For more info, call Nilette at 316-6626, or simply come on down to Mundy Park this Saturday morning to make a difference.
The MJPD wanted me to remind you to lock your vehicle. They’ve seen an increase in car burglaries, with most coming from unsecured vehicles. Don’t leave items visible. Isn’t it ironic how no one ever thinks it will happen to them, yet there’s ample evidence indicating sooner or later it will, particularly if you “invite” it by not locking your car.
Several of us had the opportunity to talk with the leadership of TDOT and TDOT’s Region 3 this week. All of them still indicate they are shooting for all lanes to be open and operational on NMJR by the end of the year. There will be some cosmetic work to follow next Spring, but essentially this will be months ahead of the original projection. Keep your fingers crossed for continued favorable weather.
That’s about all for this edition. Take care, God Bless and talk with you later.
R. Robertson
Here’s a few items of interest and FYI’s from around the city:
We’re getting close to our largest park and recreation event of the year, our annual “Halloween in the Park (HIP).” HIP 2011 promises to be bigger and better than any in the past. On 8 October, the place to be is Charlie Daniels Park. For more info call 758-6522, or go to the Parks and Rec section of the city’s web page (www.cityofmtjuliet.org).
Some good news this month, sales tax receipts for August were up about $27k over the same period in 2010. That’s a little more than a 5% gain, and much better than the dip we took in July. Thanks for Shopping MJ First. Speaking of Shopping MJ, have you noticed the new billboard on the west bound side of I-40 around the Mundy Park area. Special thanks to Decker signs and CPS land for their work on this and for waiving the normal rental cost of the board.
Remember, you can buy Music City Star tickets right here at City Hall. You can also get advanced game day Star express tickets for $15; $5 less than walk up purchases. The game day express will be pulling out of the MJ Station this Sunday for the Titan’s home opener against Baltimore’s Ravens.
The MJ Senior Citizens Center will be hosting a commemorative “Celebrate MJ Walk” on Saturday, 29 October. The walk, which is a recognition of the soon to complete North MJ Road (NMJR) widening project, starts at the Senior Citizens Center and moves north along NMJR and returns the Center. All totaled, it’s 6 miles if you cross the finish line. There will be a special, protein-packed spaghetti lunch and dinner available at the center the day before. All proceeds from the luncheon, dinner and walk go to the Senior Citizens Center. The meals are $7 each, and the walk is $20 (with T shirts available while they last) What a wonderful way to spend a crisp Fall day. For more info call Linda at 557-4703.
Speaking of walks, Nilette Rensch, wanted me to let you know the 2nd annual Huntington’s Disease Walk of Hope will take place this Saturday, 9/17, with registration starting at 8 a.m. and the walk itself starting at 10:00 from Jerry Mundy Park. Last year they raised over $35k to combat Huntington's Disease. HD is a devastating, hereditary, degenerative brain disorder for which there is, at present, no cure. HD slowly diminishes the affected individual's ability to walk, talk and reason, with eventually the person becoming totally dependent upon others for care. For more info, call Nilette at 316-6626, or simply come on down to Mundy Park this Saturday morning to make a difference.
The MJPD wanted me to remind you to lock your vehicle. They’ve seen an increase in car burglaries, with most coming from unsecured vehicles. Don’t leave items visible. Isn’t it ironic how no one ever thinks it will happen to them, yet there’s ample evidence indicating sooner or later it will, particularly if you “invite” it by not locking your car.
Several of us had the opportunity to talk with the leadership of TDOT and TDOT’s Region 3 this week. All of them still indicate they are shooting for all lanes to be open and operational on NMJR by the end of the year. There will be some cosmetic work to follow next Spring, but essentially this will be months ahead of the original projection. Keep your fingers crossed for continued favorable weather.
That’s about all for this edition. Take care, God Bless and talk with you later.
R. Robertson
Thursday, August 25, 2011
Update: August 25, 2011
Good Afternoon MJ:
Wow, check out the progress on North Mt. Juliet Road this week! Work crews are entering one of the more difficult sections of the project, the intersection with the train tracks and West Division, but things are going really well right now. There’s lot of things going on all along the road, so remember, take it easy on the speed and drive with care.
As a reminder, Wilson County Mayor Hutto and County Veteran Affairs Officer J.C. Satterfield hold office hours once a month (the last Wednesday of the month) at MJ’s City Hall, starting at 8:30. You can make an appointment with the Mayor’s assistant at 443-1383 or drop in. The next visit will be this coming Wednesday, 31 August.
The MJ Animal Shelter is running a special for these “dog days” of August. All dogs are $55.00, and that includes all required shots and spaying or neutering. You can check out the animal inventory on-line at the city’s web page (www.cityofmtjuliet.org) Speaking of deals. This Saturday, starting at 8:00 a.m., is MJ’s “World Famous” Flea Market/Yard Sale. This promises to be a good one, because as of this writing we’ve got nearly 40 vendors. There’s still a couple booths left and time to purchase them. Call 758-6522 for details. Vendor or buyer, this Saturday morning (from 8:00 till 1200) the place for your early holiday shopping is right here in MJ at the Charlie Daniels Rec Center.
Movies in the Park: Our next and final film feature of the summer will be Friday, 2 September, at the amphitheater at Charlie Daniels Park. Bring your family and friends out at dusk for an evening under the stars with that “Better than the Average Bear” Yogi, and his trusty sidekick, Boo Boo.
Cook’s United Methodist Church will be selling barbecue and ribs on Saturday, September 3. Pulled pork sells for $7.50/lb. and a slab of ribs (approximately 4 lbs.) sells for $25. Sounds like a mouth watering deal doesn’t it! The meat will be available for pick-up at the church from 12-3 pm on Saturday. Proceeds will be used to support the needy in our community. Orders may be placed by contacting Joyce Gaines at kwgain@yahoo.com. Or call Joyce at 513-4318.
Since 1971, 26 August, has been declared “Women’s Equality Day” in the U.S. The date was selected to commemorate the 1920 passage of the 19th Amendment to the Constitution, granting women the right to vote. This was the culmination of a massive, peaceful civil rights movement by women that had its formal beginnings in 1848 at the world’s first women’s rights convention, in Seneca Falls, New York. Observance of Women’s Equality Day not only commemorates the passage of the 19th Amendment, but also calls attention to women’s continuing efforts toward full equality. Well done Ladies.
There’s a couple of church affiliated organizations conducting African mission trips in the near future that I’d like to mention as we close out this week’s update. The first EMI, Engineering Ministries International, will be taking on upgrading three hospitals in Freetown, Sierra Leone. EMI partners professional, Christian engineers together for construction or restitution efforts in third world countries. This year, 10 engineers will travel to Freetown to work on the infrastructure of several hospitals in one of the poorest nations on the globe. Spearheading the Nashville-based contingent is Mt. Juliet’s own Mr. Marlin Keel, BS, MS, Vanderbilt University. The team departs in a couple weeks.
Another mission with a sizeable Mt. Juliet team will head for Zimbabwe in early October. Operating under the auspices of the United Methodist Church, the “Project Tariro Awareness Tour” travels to the Eastern Highlands of Zimbabwe, focusing their work on HIV and AIDS prevention and control while also establishing a sewing ministry for residents. At one time nearly a third of Zimbabwe’s population had AIDS or HIV, and even today close to 15% do. The average life span in this nation under 40. As part of their program, the Project Tariro group will be purchasing manual sewing machine ($90.00 each) once they’re in country; taking them to the city of Mutare, where they’ll provide classes and instruction on sewing infant diapers and other essential clothing items.
Want to help? For EMI’s Sierra Leone mission, call Mr. Keel at 758-2560. POC for Project Tariro is Dr. Paul Van Buren, a Mt. Juliet resident, who can be reach at 758-4635. Remember, Tennessee is the Volunteer State. For so very little you can make a huge impact in the lives of those who need so much.
Remember, share this note, and how to sign up on Nixle with your family and friends. Take care, God Bless and talk with you later.
R. Robertson
Wow, check out the progress on North Mt. Juliet Road this week! Work crews are entering one of the more difficult sections of the project, the intersection with the train tracks and West Division, but things are going really well right now. There’s lot of things going on all along the road, so remember, take it easy on the speed and drive with care.
As a reminder, Wilson County Mayor Hutto and County Veteran Affairs Officer J.C. Satterfield hold office hours once a month (the last Wednesday of the month) at MJ’s City Hall, starting at 8:30. You can make an appointment with the Mayor’s assistant at 443-1383 or drop in. The next visit will be this coming Wednesday, 31 August.
The MJ Animal Shelter is running a special for these “dog days” of August. All dogs are $55.00, and that includes all required shots and spaying or neutering. You can check out the animal inventory on-line at the city’s web page (www.cityofmtjuliet.org) Speaking of deals. This Saturday, starting at 8:00 a.m., is MJ’s “World Famous” Flea Market/Yard Sale. This promises to be a good one, because as of this writing we’ve got nearly 40 vendors. There’s still a couple booths left and time to purchase them. Call 758-6522 for details. Vendor or buyer, this Saturday morning (from 8:00 till 1200) the place for your early holiday shopping is right here in MJ at the Charlie Daniels Rec Center.
Movies in the Park: Our next and final film feature of the summer will be Friday, 2 September, at the amphitheater at Charlie Daniels Park. Bring your family and friends out at dusk for an evening under the stars with that “Better than the Average Bear” Yogi, and his trusty sidekick, Boo Boo.
Cook’s United Methodist Church will be selling barbecue and ribs on Saturday, September 3. Pulled pork sells for $7.50/lb. and a slab of ribs (approximately 4 lbs.) sells for $25. Sounds like a mouth watering deal doesn’t it! The meat will be available for pick-up at the church from 12-3 pm on Saturday. Proceeds will be used to support the needy in our community. Orders may be placed by contacting Joyce Gaines at kwgain@yahoo.com. Or call Joyce at 513-4318.
Since 1971, 26 August, has been declared “Women’s Equality Day” in the U.S. The date was selected to commemorate the 1920 passage of the 19th Amendment to the Constitution, granting women the right to vote. This was the culmination of a massive, peaceful civil rights movement by women that had its formal beginnings in 1848 at the world’s first women’s rights convention, in Seneca Falls, New York. Observance of Women’s Equality Day not only commemorates the passage of the 19th Amendment, but also calls attention to women’s continuing efforts toward full equality. Well done Ladies.
There’s a couple of church affiliated organizations conducting African mission trips in the near future that I’d like to mention as we close out this week’s update. The first EMI, Engineering Ministries International, will be taking on upgrading three hospitals in Freetown, Sierra Leone. EMI partners professional, Christian engineers together for construction or restitution efforts in third world countries. This year, 10 engineers will travel to Freetown to work on the infrastructure of several hospitals in one of the poorest nations on the globe. Spearheading the Nashville-based contingent is Mt. Juliet’s own Mr. Marlin Keel, BS, MS, Vanderbilt University. The team departs in a couple weeks.
Another mission with a sizeable Mt. Juliet team will head for Zimbabwe in early October. Operating under the auspices of the United Methodist Church, the “Project Tariro Awareness Tour” travels to the Eastern Highlands of Zimbabwe, focusing their work on HIV and AIDS prevention and control while also establishing a sewing ministry for residents. At one time nearly a third of Zimbabwe’s population had AIDS or HIV, and even today close to 15% do. The average life span in this nation under 40. As part of their program, the Project Tariro group will be purchasing manual sewing machine ($90.00 each) once they’re in country; taking them to the city of Mutare, where they’ll provide classes and instruction on sewing infant diapers and other essential clothing items.
Want to help? For EMI’s Sierra Leone mission, call Mr. Keel at 758-2560. POC for Project Tariro is Dr. Paul Van Buren, a Mt. Juliet resident, who can be reach at 758-4635. Remember, Tennessee is the Volunteer State. For so very little you can make a huge impact in the lives of those who need so much.
Remember, share this note, and how to sign up on Nixle with your family and friends. Take care, God Bless and talk with you later.
R. Robertson
Wednesday, August 10, 2011
Update: August 10, 2011
Good Afternoon MJ:
Here’s some pretty powerful data points to mull over next time you are stuck in the car headed to work in Nashville. In June 2010, 2,590 passengers boarded the Music City Star from Mt. Juliet. In June 2011 that number had increased to 3,900. Wow! Between 1 July 2010 and the end of June this year, the Mt. Juliet station saw over 36k riders board from here, and our average daily ridership this June was nearly 180 passengers. Officials at Nashville’s Regional Transportation Authority advise that of the 25 top commuter rail systems in the U.S., Nashville’s own Music City Star had the second highest growth (with Portland, OR beating us by only one-half of one percent). The average growth for all 25 systems was one-half percent while Nashville’s was over 20%. Why pay $3.50 a gallon, plus wear and tear, oil, tires, and the frustration of driving when you could join your friends, colleagues and other commuters in great discussions on your way to the office, more time to sleep, some quality blackberry time, read a book or simply day dream as the landscape passes by. Tickets are available at City Hall. Train officials are also running a special “Game Day Express” for Titans fans from 1 August to 11 September with single game ride tickets for any game running just $12; a 20% discount over the normal $15 price. Game Day Express tickets are also available at City Hall.
Thanks to everyone who turned out at Providence Market Place for National Night Out last week. Even though the evening was a scorcher, PD leadership reports several hundred joined in the festivities. We hope it was a good transitional event for the kids as they head back to school.
“Walk With the Mayor” Cook’s United Methodist Church (UMC) is sponsoring a series of weekend walks with Mayor Hagerty between now and October. The first one (a 3 mile course, but do what you feel capable of) will be this Saturday, 13 August, starting at 10:00. Sign up takes place at the Recreation Center in Charlie Daniels Park. Mr. Jim Webster, Cook’s Parish Nurse and Walk Coordinator, advises over 125 have already committed to be there. It’s a great family oriented event aimed at enhancing personal health right here in our part of Tennessee, the third most obese state in the nation. For more info give Jim a call at 828-6905. For those of you who are reading this on Nixle, please pass it along to your friends.
Take special note of all the lane changes on North MJ Road. The road widening project is really moving along, with changes in traffic patterns taking place nearly every day. Drivers: Slow down and keep alert.
Now’s the time to start cleaning out the garage, basement and/or attic for the great MJ Community Flea Market, Saturday, 27 August. To quote the actor Red Foxx, “this promises to be a big one” with both the exotic and practical all on the same parking lot. Crowds at the Flea Market usually top 1k, so it’s both a buyers and sellers paradise. Booth space is only $20. For more info or to rent a spot, call the friendly folks at Charlie Daniels Park, at 758-6522.
No, it’s not Christmas in August, but we would like to hear from you about our 2011 Christmas Parade, scheduled for Saturday, 3 December. For most of this year the Parade Committee had a lead on one of America’s sports superstars, Hank Aaron, to serve as our Grand Marshal. As often said, the best laid plans . . . Well the best laid plans recently changed and Hank won’t be able to be here. We’re looking for a major name! Two years ago it was Barry Wilmore, Commander of the Space Shuttle Atlantis, and one of MJ’s own. Last year it was Rudy Ruttengier, author and namesake of the classic feel good movie, “Rudy.” Do you have any ideas on who could top Hank, Barry or Rudy? If so, send me an email at rrobertson@cityofmtjuliet.org. Make sure your prospect is willing and available to be our Grand Marshal before you write. Thanks.
City sales tax revenue for July was reported today and MJ’s share was $516k, or a drop of $41k (7.3% decline) from last July. Ouch! Please, . . . Shop MJ First!
Take care, God Bless and talk with you later.
R. Robertson
Here’s some pretty powerful data points to mull over next time you are stuck in the car headed to work in Nashville. In June 2010, 2,590 passengers boarded the Music City Star from Mt. Juliet. In June 2011 that number had increased to 3,900. Wow! Between 1 July 2010 and the end of June this year, the Mt. Juliet station saw over 36k riders board from here, and our average daily ridership this June was nearly 180 passengers. Officials at Nashville’s Regional Transportation Authority advise that of the 25 top commuter rail systems in the U.S., Nashville’s own Music City Star had the second highest growth (with Portland, OR beating us by only one-half of one percent). The average growth for all 25 systems was one-half percent while Nashville’s was over 20%. Why pay $3.50 a gallon, plus wear and tear, oil, tires, and the frustration of driving when you could join your friends, colleagues and other commuters in great discussions on your way to the office, more time to sleep, some quality blackberry time, read a book or simply day dream as the landscape passes by. Tickets are available at City Hall. Train officials are also running a special “Game Day Express” for Titans fans from 1 August to 11 September with single game ride tickets for any game running just $12; a 20% discount over the normal $15 price. Game Day Express tickets are also available at City Hall.
Thanks to everyone who turned out at Providence Market Place for National Night Out last week. Even though the evening was a scorcher, PD leadership reports several hundred joined in the festivities. We hope it was a good transitional event for the kids as they head back to school.
“Walk With the Mayor” Cook’s United Methodist Church (UMC) is sponsoring a series of weekend walks with Mayor Hagerty between now and October. The first one (a 3 mile course, but do what you feel capable of) will be this Saturday, 13 August, starting at 10:00. Sign up takes place at the Recreation Center in Charlie Daniels Park. Mr. Jim Webster, Cook’s Parish Nurse and Walk Coordinator, advises over 125 have already committed to be there. It’s a great family oriented event aimed at enhancing personal health right here in our part of Tennessee, the third most obese state in the nation. For more info give Jim a call at 828-6905. For those of you who are reading this on Nixle, please pass it along to your friends.
Take special note of all the lane changes on North MJ Road. The road widening project is really moving along, with changes in traffic patterns taking place nearly every day. Drivers: Slow down and keep alert.
Now’s the time to start cleaning out the garage, basement and/or attic for the great MJ Community Flea Market, Saturday, 27 August. To quote the actor Red Foxx, “this promises to be a big one” with both the exotic and practical all on the same parking lot. Crowds at the Flea Market usually top 1k, so it’s both a buyers and sellers paradise. Booth space is only $20. For more info or to rent a spot, call the friendly folks at Charlie Daniels Park, at 758-6522.
No, it’s not Christmas in August, but we would like to hear from you about our 2011 Christmas Parade, scheduled for Saturday, 3 December. For most of this year the Parade Committee had a lead on one of America’s sports superstars, Hank Aaron, to serve as our Grand Marshal. As often said, the best laid plans . . . Well the best laid plans recently changed and Hank won’t be able to be here. We’re looking for a major name! Two years ago it was Barry Wilmore, Commander of the Space Shuttle Atlantis, and one of MJ’s own. Last year it was Rudy Ruttengier, author and namesake of the classic feel good movie, “Rudy.” Do you have any ideas on who could top Hank, Barry or Rudy? If so, send me an email at rrobertson@cityofmtjuliet.org. Make sure your prospect is willing and available to be our Grand Marshal before you write. Thanks.
City sales tax revenue for July was reported today and MJ’s share was $516k, or a drop of $41k (7.3% decline) from last July. Ouch! Please, . . . Shop MJ First!
Take care, God Bless and talk with you later.
R. Robertson
Saturday, July 30, 2011
Update: July 30, 2011
Good Morning MJ:
Here's a few items of interest and FYI's:
1. Parents: if you haven't checked out the new Tot Park inside Charlie Daniels Park then take the kids out this weekend for a real treat. Thanks to the work of many and the kind donation by the Clark Family in honor of their son better known as "Squirrel", MJ's Charlie Daniels Park has added a whole new state-of-the-art play area for our youngest citizens. We hope to dedicate the play area to "Squirrel" next week, but from all indications the concrete will be dry on the area walkway this weekend, so check it out.
2. Movie in the Park, next Friday, starting at dusk. We're between 150 to 200 film buffs each month at our family oriented films. This one should be particularly fun to the young and young at heart . . . so says Yogi and Boo Boo! It all takes place at the amphitheater in Charlie Daniels Park, Friday, 5 August.
3. Calling all Volunteers: Your Animal Shelter needs you. It's summer and the numbers are up; adoptions are down. Right now there's a wide variety of dogs, and even more cats to choose from. Want to do more; consider being a Shelter volunteer or give to the Shelter's non-profit. It's tax deductible! For more info just call or stop by the MJ Animal Shelter on Industrial Drive. Speaking of Animals, between 12:00 and 3:00 pay a visit to the MJ Dairy Queen on Lebanon Road today. $1 of every "Blizzard" sold goes to the Shelter's non-profit, and there'll be dogs ready for adoption. It promises to be a great day for a cool treat.
4. School is back in session this Monday so commuters should plan accordingly. Remember to give yourself a little extra time, particularly if your trip involves travel on North Mt. Juliet Road (NMJR). Speaking of NMJR, things are really starting to take shape there; curbing, sidewalks, sod, and even asphalt is starting to go down. The end is in sight.
5. With the help of the MJPD, MJ will celebrate National Night Out on Tuesday, 2 August. National Night Out is a family oriented event that couples various businesses around the city, the MJ community and the MJPD together for an evening of fun. Be at Providence Market Place this coming Tuesday, starting at 5:00 p.m. There'll be tons of freebies.
6. Lookin' for something different to do? Bring your four legged best friend to MJ South Park (off Belinda Parkway) and check out the MJ Bark Park. Usually Fido will see lots of others friends playing at this hidden city jewel. Not into dogs? Try a round of Frisbee Golf at Mundy Park. It's free! Don't have just the right disc? You can even rent them at Charlie Daniels Park and drop em' right there at Mundy.
7. Wondering what's all the construction on Lebanon Road? TDOT is repaving Lebanon Road from the Davidson County line to Park Glen Road. This $1.2m project is expected to take 45 to 60 days, but all work is scheduled to be done between 8:00 p.m. at night and 5:00 a.m. in the morning. As an added benefit look for new bike lanes and associated signage when the project is done. Thanks TDOT!
8. Can you say "Community Resilience?" There'll be much more on this over the next few months, but MJ has the unique opportunity to be one of 10 cities in the United States selected to participate in a federal pilot program examining how a community prepares and recovers from a terrorist attack, man-made or natural disaster, and even an economic catastrophe. Pretty timely stuff considering what recently happened in Joplin, Missouri; Tuscaloosa, Alabama; and last week, Oslo, Norway. Keep tuned.
8. On a final note, a personal thanks to the men who make up the MJ contingent of volunteer firefighters at Station 3 of WEMA. These trained and ready professionals have done an exceptional job supplementing the full timers at Station 3 for now going on 2 years. With all the recent media and talk about fire and emergency services the last few months, we don't hear much about these outstanding fellows who volunteer on their own time. Thanks for all you do Gentlemen.
Take care and talk with you later.
R. Robertson
Here's a few items of interest and FYI's:
1. Parents: if you haven't checked out the new Tot Park inside Charlie Daniels Park then take the kids out this weekend for a real treat. Thanks to the work of many and the kind donation by the Clark Family in honor of their son better known as "Squirrel", MJ's Charlie Daniels Park has added a whole new state-of-the-art play area for our youngest citizens. We hope to dedicate the play area to "Squirrel" next week, but from all indications the concrete will be dry on the area walkway this weekend, so check it out.
2. Movie in the Park, next Friday, starting at dusk. We're between 150 to 200 film buffs each month at our family oriented films. This one should be particularly fun to the young and young at heart . . . so says Yogi and Boo Boo! It all takes place at the amphitheater in Charlie Daniels Park, Friday, 5 August.
3. Calling all Volunteers: Your Animal Shelter needs you. It's summer and the numbers are up; adoptions are down. Right now there's a wide variety of dogs, and even more cats to choose from. Want to do more; consider being a Shelter volunteer or give to the Shelter's non-profit. It's tax deductible! For more info just call or stop by the MJ Animal Shelter on Industrial Drive. Speaking of Animals, between 12:00 and 3:00 pay a visit to the MJ Dairy Queen on Lebanon Road today. $1 of every "Blizzard" sold goes to the Shelter's non-profit, and there'll be dogs ready for adoption. It promises to be a great day for a cool treat.
4. School is back in session this Monday so commuters should plan accordingly. Remember to give yourself a little extra time, particularly if your trip involves travel on North Mt. Juliet Road (NMJR). Speaking of NMJR, things are really starting to take shape there; curbing, sidewalks, sod, and even asphalt is starting to go down. The end is in sight.
5. With the help of the MJPD, MJ will celebrate National Night Out on Tuesday, 2 August. National Night Out is a family oriented event that couples various businesses around the city, the MJ community and the MJPD together for an evening of fun. Be at Providence Market Place this coming Tuesday, starting at 5:00 p.m. There'll be tons of freebies.
6. Lookin' for something different to do? Bring your four legged best friend to MJ South Park (off Belinda Parkway) and check out the MJ Bark Park. Usually Fido will see lots of others friends playing at this hidden city jewel. Not into dogs? Try a round of Frisbee Golf at Mundy Park. It's free! Don't have just the right disc? You can even rent them at Charlie Daniels Park and drop em' right there at Mundy.
7. Wondering what's all the construction on Lebanon Road? TDOT is repaving Lebanon Road from the Davidson County line to Park Glen Road. This $1.2m project is expected to take 45 to 60 days, but all work is scheduled to be done between 8:00 p.m. at night and 5:00 a.m. in the morning. As an added benefit look for new bike lanes and associated signage when the project is done. Thanks TDOT!
8. Can you say "Community Resilience?" There'll be much more on this over the next few months, but MJ has the unique opportunity to be one of 10 cities in the United States selected to participate in a federal pilot program examining how a community prepares and recovers from a terrorist attack, man-made or natural disaster, and even an economic catastrophe. Pretty timely stuff considering what recently happened in Joplin, Missouri; Tuscaloosa, Alabama; and last week, Oslo, Norway. Keep tuned.
8. On a final note, a personal thanks to the men who make up the MJ contingent of volunteer firefighters at Station 3 of WEMA. These trained and ready professionals have done an exceptional job supplementing the full timers at Station 3 for now going on 2 years. With all the recent media and talk about fire and emergency services the last few months, we don't hear much about these outstanding fellows who volunteer on their own time. Thanks for all you do Gentlemen.
Take care and talk with you later.
R. Robertson
Friday, July 1, 2011
Update: July 1, 2011
Good Afternoon MJ:
Welcome to your 4 July edition of the City Manager Blog. Here's a few items of interest:
1. Movie in the Park. Tonight (Friday, 1 July). "The Goonies", an 80's something family film (some mild language). Starts at dusk at Charlie Daniels Park. Free popcorn. Bring a blanket or lawn chairs and enjoy this warm summer evening with a classic.
2. MJ's 4 July Firework Fest. Did you read The Tennessean the other day where a news writer noted MJ has one of the largest 4 July firework displays in Middle Tennessee? Much of the credit goes to Mr. Tom Needham, of Needham's Nursery, who foots a large part of the bill. Join MJ'ers and thousands of others Monday night at Providence Mall. Fireworks are scheduled to start at 9:00 p.m. By the way, if you would like to help Tom out with the expenses, just drop by Needham's Nursery on Lebanon Road.
3. Thanks to LoJac, WWUD, Piedmont, MTEMC, TDS, TDOT and others for some great work the last few weeks on the North Mt. Juliet Road widening project. Despite the region being about 4" above normal rainfall for the year, the project is coming along well. There will be a monthly project update next week, so more details will be available then, but suffice to say, we're looking forward to the road being "driveable" late this Fall.
4. New Businesses: Kassie Wiley has opened a law office at 541 North Mt. Juliet Road; the grand "reopening" of ACE Hardware on North Mt. Juliet Road (NMJR) under new management has occured; Roadhouse Subs will be located in Providence Commons (by Publix #2); and Las Compadres Mexican Restaurant on Lebanon Rd. will soon open their doors. Some others to report on include an expanded MAPCO Station at the intersection of NMJR and Lebanon Road has gotten underway. The current station will close down on/about 18 July, with the new one opening 60 to 90 days later. Firestone Tires will open a new store at the Paddocks (behind Cheddars) in the next month or so; and work is underway for Lexcon Insurance (on Lebanon Rd), which, when done will be about a 40k square foot facility employing up to 150. MJ is on the move!
5. Several weeks ago I reported about donations to the City, and marveled at over $850k worth of materials or time had been given by businesses, churches, groups and individuals over the last couple years. Just a quick update shows that number continues to grow with more than $2k in items donated for the "Community Conversation", a reconditioned pick up truck from Two Rivers Ford valued at more $4k; $1k in tires and wheels from Goodyear; a new lawn mower from 2 Rivers Church and $500 for outdoor equipment from Life Assembly Church. Right now our roster is bumping up around $900k, and that's not including the time of our volunteers at the MJ Animal Shelter or today's $500 donation to the Shelter's non profit. Mayor Hagerty stated it best at the Community Conversation when he said we are blessed to live in such a unique city. I'll have another big announcement regarding "donations" to the city the next time I write.
That's all for this time. Take care and God Bless. Have a happy and safe 4th.
R. Robertson
Welcome to your 4 July edition of the City Manager Blog. Here's a few items of interest:
1. Movie in the Park. Tonight (Friday, 1 July). "The Goonies", an 80's something family film (some mild language). Starts at dusk at Charlie Daniels Park. Free popcorn. Bring a blanket or lawn chairs and enjoy this warm summer evening with a classic.
2. MJ's 4 July Firework Fest. Did you read The Tennessean the other day where a news writer noted MJ has one of the largest 4 July firework displays in Middle Tennessee? Much of the credit goes to Mr. Tom Needham, of Needham's Nursery, who foots a large part of the bill. Join MJ'ers and thousands of others Monday night at Providence Mall. Fireworks are scheduled to start at 9:00 p.m. By the way, if you would like to help Tom out with the expenses, just drop by Needham's Nursery on Lebanon Road.
3. Thanks to LoJac, WWUD, Piedmont, MTEMC, TDS, TDOT and others for some great work the last few weeks on the North Mt. Juliet Road widening project. Despite the region being about 4" above normal rainfall for the year, the project is coming along well. There will be a monthly project update next week, so more details will be available then, but suffice to say, we're looking forward to the road being "driveable" late this Fall.
4. New Businesses: Kassie Wiley has opened a law office at 541 North Mt. Juliet Road; the grand "reopening" of ACE Hardware on North Mt. Juliet Road (NMJR) under new management has occured; Roadhouse Subs will be located in Providence Commons (by Publix #2); and Las Compadres Mexican Restaurant on Lebanon Rd. will soon open their doors. Some others to report on include an expanded MAPCO Station at the intersection of NMJR and Lebanon Road has gotten underway. The current station will close down on/about 18 July, with the new one opening 60 to 90 days later. Firestone Tires will open a new store at the Paddocks (behind Cheddars) in the next month or so; and work is underway for Lexcon Insurance (on Lebanon Rd), which, when done will be about a 40k square foot facility employing up to 150. MJ is on the move!
5. Several weeks ago I reported about donations to the City, and marveled at over $850k worth of materials or time had been given by businesses, churches, groups and individuals over the last couple years. Just a quick update shows that number continues to grow with more than $2k in items donated for the "Community Conversation", a reconditioned pick up truck from Two Rivers Ford valued at more $4k; $1k in tires and wheels from Goodyear; a new lawn mower from 2 Rivers Church and $500 for outdoor equipment from Life Assembly Church. Right now our roster is bumping up around $900k, and that's not including the time of our volunteers at the MJ Animal Shelter or today's $500 donation to the Shelter's non profit. Mayor Hagerty stated it best at the Community Conversation when he said we are blessed to live in such a unique city. I'll have another big announcement regarding "donations" to the city the next time I write.
That's all for this time. Take care and God Bless. Have a happy and safe 4th.
R. Robertson
Friday, April 1, 2011
Update: April 1, 2011
Good Afternoon MJ:
A special note on this Friday afternoon. Tomorrow (Saturday, 2 April) the MJ Parks and Rec Department and the AvaLynShaye Foundation will be hosting Ava’s Run for a Reason. This 5k run/walk is dedicated to Ms. Ava Bright who, although she passed away at a very early age, had a passion for splash parks. From her interest, the Bright’s have formed a nonprofit organization, dedicated to helping MJ build a splash area inside Charlie Daniels Park. Tomorrow over 1,000 runners/walkers are set for a stroll or jog, with the singular purpose to help Ava’s friends and family make the MJ Splash Park a reality. Interested in running but haven’t signed up? Come down to Charlie Daniels Park; registration starts at 7:30 a.m., or you can register from 5:00 to 7:00 tonight at the Greenhill’s Women’s Club (MJ Little League Park on Lebanon Rd.) Don’t want to run or walk but would like to help? We’ll take donations! Make a difference in your community and help a little girl’s interest serve our city and its children for years to come. We’ll also be auctioning off an autographed guitar from County Music star Bo Bice (of American Idol fame) and many other special treasures. It will be crowded, so if at all possible please try and car pool. Parking will also be available at Joy Church and at the Elzie Patton Elementary School. Tomorrow not only promises to be a beautiful day, but a great one for our city. See you there.
New housing continues to be strong in MJ, with 37 permits issued during the month of March. Compare that to 14 just 2 years ago.
Kudos to the MJ Animal Shelter staff and volunteers for the great article in Wednesday’s Wilson A.M. edition of The Tennessean. Also congratulations to the Shelter’s nonprofit organization’s leadership who raised over $400 last Friday. Every dime the non-profit raises goes right back to caring for our animals. I also want to commend Mr. Eddie Blackwood, Shelter Director, and Jon Gray, Volunteer Coordinator for their first venture inside the school house to speak to children (2nd graders) about what the Shelter does, and the importance of caring for your pets.
If you drive North Mt. Juliet Road, you’re seeing some good progress with the road widening initiative. It’s been a challenging winter, so it's great to see this project move forward. Don’t want to drive to Nashville for work? Consider the Music City Star. You can buy tickets right here at City Hall. With the price of gas going up all the time, the Star is seeing record ridership.
Your City Hall Team extends their condolences to the faculty, staff and children of Stoner Creek Elementary with the passing of Mr. Nance. We are here to help if you need us.
We had a fairly new utility trailer stolen from Mundy Park. The thief pulled the entire sunken concrete base out of the ground and took off about 10:30 p.m. one evening last week. From the video we know it was stolen by a fellow driving a black pick-up truck with what appeared to be chrome plated wheels. Our trailer had small metal “sideboards”, and has an ID plate from B.J. Trailer Sales. See one like it that causes you concern? Call the MJPD at 754-2550 and ask them to check it out.
Take care MJ. Talk with you later.
R. Robertson
A special note on this Friday afternoon. Tomorrow (Saturday, 2 April) the MJ Parks and Rec Department and the AvaLynShaye Foundation will be hosting Ava’s Run for a Reason. This 5k run/walk is dedicated to Ms. Ava Bright who, although she passed away at a very early age, had a passion for splash parks. From her interest, the Bright’s have formed a nonprofit organization, dedicated to helping MJ build a splash area inside Charlie Daniels Park. Tomorrow over 1,000 runners/walkers are set for a stroll or jog, with the singular purpose to help Ava’s friends and family make the MJ Splash Park a reality. Interested in running but haven’t signed up? Come down to Charlie Daniels Park; registration starts at 7:30 a.m., or you can register from 5:00 to 7:00 tonight at the Greenhill’s Women’s Club (MJ Little League Park on Lebanon Rd.) Don’t want to run or walk but would like to help? We’ll take donations! Make a difference in your community and help a little girl’s interest serve our city and its children for years to come. We’ll also be auctioning off an autographed guitar from County Music star Bo Bice (of American Idol fame) and many other special treasures. It will be crowded, so if at all possible please try and car pool. Parking will also be available at Joy Church and at the Elzie Patton Elementary School. Tomorrow not only promises to be a beautiful day, but a great one for our city. See you there.
New housing continues to be strong in MJ, with 37 permits issued during the month of March. Compare that to 14 just 2 years ago.
Kudos to the MJ Animal Shelter staff and volunteers for the great article in Wednesday’s Wilson A.M. edition of The Tennessean. Also congratulations to the Shelter’s nonprofit organization’s leadership who raised over $400 last Friday. Every dime the non-profit raises goes right back to caring for our animals. I also want to commend Mr. Eddie Blackwood, Shelter Director, and Jon Gray, Volunteer Coordinator for their first venture inside the school house to speak to children (2nd graders) about what the Shelter does, and the importance of caring for your pets.
If you drive North Mt. Juliet Road, you’re seeing some good progress with the road widening initiative. It’s been a challenging winter, so it's great to see this project move forward. Don’t want to drive to Nashville for work? Consider the Music City Star. You can buy tickets right here at City Hall. With the price of gas going up all the time, the Star is seeing record ridership.
Your City Hall Team extends their condolences to the faculty, staff and children of Stoner Creek Elementary with the passing of Mr. Nance. We are here to help if you need us.
We had a fairly new utility trailer stolen from Mundy Park. The thief pulled the entire sunken concrete base out of the ground and took off about 10:30 p.m. one evening last week. From the video we know it was stolen by a fellow driving a black pick-up truck with what appeared to be chrome plated wheels. Our trailer had small metal “sideboards”, and has an ID plate from B.J. Trailer Sales. See one like it that causes you concern? Call the MJPD at 754-2550 and ask them to check it out.
Take care MJ. Talk with you later.
R. Robertson
Friday, January 7, 2011
Update: January 7, 2011
Good Afternoon:
It’s been some time since I last posted a note. I hope those reading this had a safe, and blessed holiday’s.
Have you clicked on the Tennessee Center for Policy Research logo at the top of our home page? It takes you to the articles about MJ’s selection as the “Number 1 Business Friendly City” in Tennessee. It’s an extraordinary honor to be selected as #1 from a pool of several hundred cities. Take a few minutes to read the articles and see why MJ came to the top.
Work progresses well on the North MJ Road widening project. The wooden utility poles are down; replaced by new metal ones paid for by the city. Drivers will see substantial work has been done on sidewalks and curbing on portions of the project. For the most part, all utility work has been complete, so the project is now focusing towards road widening.
Several new businesses have opened their doors in the last couple months: the Sonic near Publix #2; a Greek restaurant in the Valley Center, and Cheddars in the Paddock’s complex. By all accounts all are doing well.
CoC members and other business owners are encouraged to attend the Chamber’s next monthly luncheon, on Wednesday, 19 January, at the Rutland Place, starting at 11:15. Mayor Elam will be delivering the 2010 State of the City address, so it should be an interesting and educational presentation. For more details or to make a reservation, call the Chamber at 758-3478.
The Shelter needs your help. We’ve got 12 puppies looking for good homes. They’re a mix of Chow and Sheppard, making them absolutely adorable and friendly fur balls. If you didn’t get what you wanted for Christmas, here’s a chance to pick out your own personal friend and companion. Speaking of the Shelter, the year end stats are in, and thanks to our volunteers nearly 6,300 hours were donated last year. If we had to pay prevailing wages for their work hours, it would have cost us nearly $100k. Many thanks to this cadre of individuals whose call to duty is “Everything we do, we do for the Animals.”
Another interesting year end data point came up last week. We issued 367 new housing permits for 2010. Compare that to 217 for 2009. It’s easy to see why MJ is one of the state’s fastest growing cities.
On a final, personal note, all of us here at Team MJ, express our condolences and sorrow at the loss of Commissioner Jim Bradshaw’s daughter last month. Jim, our thoughts and prayers have been with you.
Until next time, take care and God Bless.
R. Robertson
It’s been some time since I last posted a note. I hope those reading this had a safe, and blessed holiday’s.
Have you clicked on the Tennessee Center for Policy Research logo at the top of our home page? It takes you to the articles about MJ’s selection as the “Number 1 Business Friendly City” in Tennessee. It’s an extraordinary honor to be selected as #1 from a pool of several hundred cities. Take a few minutes to read the articles and see why MJ came to the top.
Work progresses well on the North MJ Road widening project. The wooden utility poles are down; replaced by new metal ones paid for by the city. Drivers will see substantial work has been done on sidewalks and curbing on portions of the project. For the most part, all utility work has been complete, so the project is now focusing towards road widening.
Several new businesses have opened their doors in the last couple months: the Sonic near Publix #2; a Greek restaurant in the Valley Center, and Cheddars in the Paddock’s complex. By all accounts all are doing well.
CoC members and other business owners are encouraged to attend the Chamber’s next monthly luncheon, on Wednesday, 19 January, at the Rutland Place, starting at 11:15. Mayor Elam will be delivering the 2010 State of the City address, so it should be an interesting and educational presentation. For more details or to make a reservation, call the Chamber at 758-3478.
The Shelter needs your help. We’ve got 12 puppies looking for good homes. They’re a mix of Chow and Sheppard, making them absolutely adorable and friendly fur balls. If you didn’t get what you wanted for Christmas, here’s a chance to pick out your own personal friend and companion. Speaking of the Shelter, the year end stats are in, and thanks to our volunteers nearly 6,300 hours were donated last year. If we had to pay prevailing wages for their work hours, it would have cost us nearly $100k. Many thanks to this cadre of individuals whose call to duty is “Everything we do, we do for the Animals.”
Another interesting year end data point came up last week. We issued 367 new housing permits for 2010. Compare that to 217 for 2009. It’s easy to see why MJ is one of the state’s fastest growing cities.
On a final, personal note, all of us here at Team MJ, express our condolences and sorrow at the loss of Commissioner Jim Bradshaw’s daughter last month. Jim, our thoughts and prayers have been with you.
Until next time, take care and God Bless.
R. Robertson
Thursday, December 2, 2010
Update: December 2, 2010
Good Evening MJ:
We’re Number 1! We’re Number 1!
What a fantastic week. It’s a rare honor to be recognized throughout the entire state; and an even bigger treat to be recognized nation-wide; that’s just what happened this week with the announcement that MJ is the most business friendly city in Tennessee. Here’s a quote from the 1 December 2010 edition of USA Today: “Mt. Juliet - This Wilson County town was chosen the most business-friendly city in the state by the Tennessee Center for Policy Research. The annual ranking are based on job growth, crime rates, median per capita income, high school graduation rates and taxes.” Thanks to all who made this honor possible, and remember to “Shop Mt. Juliet.”
Looking for just that right gift for that hard to buy for person? Come On Down to the MJ Holiday Bazaar! This Saturday and Sunday the place to be is the Charlie Daniels Recreation Center for all your Holiday Shopping. From 9 a.m. to 7 p.m. on Saturday, December 4th, and 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Sunday, December 5th, the Mt. Juliet Recreation Center will be transformed into a festive shopping mall, with unique gifts from across the region, nation and world. Nearly 50 booths, all under one roof, with home and Christmas décor, arts & crafts, cosmetics, jewelry and fashion accessories, along with some flavorful artisan delicacies will be available for your shopping delight. Come join your friends at this once a year holiday extravaganza. As a special treat, the Murfreesboro Youth Orchestra will be on hand during several periods over the weekend to help provide the holiday spirit with yuletide melodies. Parking is close-up and free. Admission is free. See you there.
Speaking of gifts for the hard to buy for person – check out the 2011 MJ Animal Shelter calendar. They're $15.00 apiece or 8 for $100.00. All proceeds go to support the programs of the MJ Animal Shelter non-profit organization. With professional photos of successful homes found for some of our own Shelter pets, the calendars also have monthly gift coupons from Chick-fil-A and Two Rivers Ford that are worth far more than the purchase price. You can get yours at the Shelter or at the front desk of City Hall.
Remember . . . “Rudy” is Comin to Town! No, we’re not talkin about the red nosed guy with antlers, but Daniel “Rudy” Ruettinger, author and name sake of the 1993 classic movie “Rudy.” Rudy and his Notre Dame team mate, Ross Browner, who went on to a decade of NFL play time, will be the Grand Marshals for our 2010 MJ Christmas Parade. The parade will start at 11:00 a.m., on Saturday, 11 December. The route starts at West Wilson Middle School, and goes north along Mt. Juliet Road to the end point at the intersection of Division Road. Talk of “Rudy” coming to MJ has created quite a stir, and we’re projecting great crowds, so grab a spot along the route early. He’ll be staying after the parade at the review stand to sign autographs.
Notice the progress along NMJR? Things are really starting to shape up. With that in mind, during this holiday season, please consider merchants along the road when doing your holiday shopping; they need your support and are offering some great deals.
On a final note, we want to send a fond farewell to Mr. Gary Branham, our Chief Codes and Building Inspector, as he retires the end of this month. Gary has seen MJ transform from a town ten years ago with a population of around 12k to a full services city on nearly 30k now. He’s been at the forefront of developments ranging from Providence and Del Webb, to Paddock and Coolview Commons. In many respects, he’s had a thankless job, but through it all he continues to smile and serve our community to the best of his ability. We wish Mr. and Mrs. Branham the very best in this new phase of life and thank him for his service.
My next edition will be the “Team’s“ Christmas letter to the community.
Take care and God Bless.
R. Robertson
We’re Number 1! We’re Number 1!
What a fantastic week. It’s a rare honor to be recognized throughout the entire state; and an even bigger treat to be recognized nation-wide; that’s just what happened this week with the announcement that MJ is the most business friendly city in Tennessee. Here’s a quote from the 1 December 2010 edition of USA Today: “Mt. Juliet - This Wilson County town was chosen the most business-friendly city in the state by the Tennessee Center for Policy Research. The annual ranking are based on job growth, crime rates, median per capita income, high school graduation rates and taxes.” Thanks to all who made this honor possible, and remember to “Shop Mt. Juliet.”
Looking for just that right gift for that hard to buy for person? Come On Down to the MJ Holiday Bazaar! This Saturday and Sunday the place to be is the Charlie Daniels Recreation Center for all your Holiday Shopping. From 9 a.m. to 7 p.m. on Saturday, December 4th, and 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Sunday, December 5th, the Mt. Juliet Recreation Center will be transformed into a festive shopping mall, with unique gifts from across the region, nation and world. Nearly 50 booths, all under one roof, with home and Christmas décor, arts & crafts, cosmetics, jewelry and fashion accessories, along with some flavorful artisan delicacies will be available for your shopping delight. Come join your friends at this once a year holiday extravaganza. As a special treat, the Murfreesboro Youth Orchestra will be on hand during several periods over the weekend to help provide the holiday spirit with yuletide melodies. Parking is close-up and free. Admission is free. See you there.
Speaking of gifts for the hard to buy for person – check out the 2011 MJ Animal Shelter calendar. They're $15.00 apiece or 8 for $100.00. All proceeds go to support the programs of the MJ Animal Shelter non-profit organization. With professional photos of successful homes found for some of our own Shelter pets, the calendars also have monthly gift coupons from Chick-fil-A and Two Rivers Ford that are worth far more than the purchase price. You can get yours at the Shelter or at the front desk of City Hall.
Remember . . . “Rudy” is Comin to Town! No, we’re not talkin about the red nosed guy with antlers, but Daniel “Rudy” Ruettinger, author and name sake of the 1993 classic movie “Rudy.” Rudy and his Notre Dame team mate, Ross Browner, who went on to a decade of NFL play time, will be the Grand Marshals for our 2010 MJ Christmas Parade. The parade will start at 11:00 a.m., on Saturday, 11 December. The route starts at West Wilson Middle School, and goes north along Mt. Juliet Road to the end point at the intersection of Division Road. Talk of “Rudy” coming to MJ has created quite a stir, and we’re projecting great crowds, so grab a spot along the route early. He’ll be staying after the parade at the review stand to sign autographs.
Notice the progress along NMJR? Things are really starting to shape up. With that in mind, during this holiday season, please consider merchants along the road when doing your holiday shopping; they need your support and are offering some great deals.
On a final note, we want to send a fond farewell to Mr. Gary Branham, our Chief Codes and Building Inspector, as he retires the end of this month. Gary has seen MJ transform from a town ten years ago with a population of around 12k to a full services city on nearly 30k now. He’s been at the forefront of developments ranging from Providence and Del Webb, to Paddock and Coolview Commons. In many respects, he’s had a thankless job, but through it all he continues to smile and serve our community to the best of his ability. We wish Mr. and Mrs. Branham the very best in this new phase of life and thank him for his service.
My next edition will be the “Team’s“ Christmas letter to the community.
Take care and God Bless.
R. Robertson
Friday, November 19, 2010
Update: 11/19/10
Good Afternoon MJ:
Here’s some items of interest from around the community:
1. We’ve had a rash of vandalism at all of our parks this week. This week the Mt. Juliet Parks and Recreation Department announced that someone had vandalized the children’s play area at South Park; tore up one of the holes at Mundy’s Frisbee Golf Course; bent the frame and stolen a soccer net from the city’s soccer park on Curd Road, and tore up some of the platforms and defaced some of the signs at the recently renovated Planet Playground at Charlie Daniels Park. That’s mean spirited shortsightedness. Deputy Chief of Police James Hambrick indicated that funds may be available for any tips to who was responsible for these acts. You can get more info on our “Crime Stoppers” program at the city’s homepage, or by calling Corporal Tyler Chandler, our community policing officer at 394-3092.
2. Some better news: the Nashville Business Journal announced today that MJ was Tennessee’s number one business friendly city as declared by the Tennessee Center for Policy Research. This is absolutely fantastic news, and speaks volumes to the vision and goals of this community, and of the Mayor and Board of Commissioners of our city. Congratulations MJ! Click below for a link to go to the full story.
http://www.bizjournals.com/nashville/feature/tennessee-center-for-policy-research.html?surround=etf&ana=e_article
3. Calling all Citizens interested in alternative transportation, clean air, traffic mitigation, healthy lifestyles, and biking. We will be holding a public meeting for Phase 3 of our West Division Greenway project this Monday at 5:00 p.m., in City Hall. To refresh your memory, we should be finishing up Phase 1 construction, which runs from the MJ Train Station to 4th Avenue within the next few weeks . . . stay tuned for an announcement on the ribbon cutting. We learned a couple weeks ago, that we were one of the few communities in Tennessee to be awarded Congestion Mitigation – Air Quality (CMAQ) funding, to push Phase 2 initiatives. Phase 2 will take the greenway/bike path from 4th Avenue to Brookstone. Phase 3, the longest, most challenging and most expensive element of the project, will run from Brookstone to South Greenhill Road. Monday’s Public Hearing is a requirement for future grant opportunities. We hope you can join us.
4. Some upcoming Parks and Rec events: Our first ever Urban Master Gardner program is tentatively scheduled hold its kick off meeting on Tuesday, 14 December, from 6 to 8 p.m. in the MJ Community Center in Charlie Daniels Park. Come join Master Gardner and class leader Johnnie Harper of the University of Tennessee Extension, Wilson County Masters Gardeners Association in the ground breaking (pardon the pun) Parks and Rec initiative. For more info call Jan Litterell, at 758-6522. Stay tune to Channel 3, the city’s web page and the local papers for more info.
Our 2nd Annual Holiday and Crafts Bazaar will be held on 4 and 5 December, at the Charlie Daniels Rec Center. Times are 9am to 7pm on Saturday, and 11am to 5pm on Sunday. This Bazaar will feature booths specializing in holiday related items, jewelry, floral, art, crafts, home décor, skin care and much more. We’re expecting over 40 vendors from across the region. It will be a great place to get that unique gift for the hard to buy family member or loved one. If you are interested in a vendor’s stall, call Taylor Bates or any of the Parks crew at 758-5622.
Finally, anticipation continues to build for our 11 December Christmas parade with “Rudy” Ruettinger and Ross Browner as the co Grand Marshals. Rudy is known for the inspirational film about his Notre Dame football exploits, aptly titled “Rudy.” Ross Browner was the fellow who pushed to have Rudy get in during the final game of the season, and who went on to over a decade in the NFL. This promises to be MJ’s biggest parade with tons of floats, marchers, bands, horses and even a nationally renowned bagpiper. The place to be on 11 December is along Mt. Juliet Road, from West Wilson Middle School, north to Division Street; starting at 11:00 a.m.
5. Notice the progress along the North MJ Road project. I had the opportunity to meet with the TDOT leadership and project contractor last week, and they are really pleased with the initiative. Barring major material or weather problems they are looking for an October 2011 completion date; months earlier than originally forecasted.
6. Here's a couple of ways to help support your city:
- The Mt. Juliet Senior Center designed and is selling Christmas Ornaments for $10 each. Proceeds benefit the Senior Center. Contact Pat Gwin at patgwin@comcast.net
- In a similar vein but on a different note, our very own Animal Shelter has 2011 calendars for sale. They are $15 each or (8) for $100. The calendar features animals from our own shelter and has several discount coupons attached. To pick some up, call any member of the MJ Animal Shelter at 773-5533
7. On a final note, if you live or frequently travel towards the southern end of the city, on South MJ Road, there will be some significant traffic changes coming up next week, weather permitting. With help of some technology and some existing asphalt, we’ll be creating a middle turn lane in the South Providence/Publix Number 2 area early next week. This is should be a real boost to commuters and businesses in the area. For more info check out the power point slide on Channel 3.
That's enough for this week. Take care and God Bless.
R. Robertson
Here’s some items of interest from around the community:
1. We’ve had a rash of vandalism at all of our parks this week. This week the Mt. Juliet Parks and Recreation Department announced that someone had vandalized the children’s play area at South Park; tore up one of the holes at Mundy’s Frisbee Golf Course; bent the frame and stolen a soccer net from the city’s soccer park on Curd Road, and tore up some of the platforms and defaced some of the signs at the recently renovated Planet Playground at Charlie Daniels Park. That’s mean spirited shortsightedness. Deputy Chief of Police James Hambrick indicated that funds may be available for any tips to who was responsible for these acts. You can get more info on our “Crime Stoppers” program at the city’s homepage, or by calling Corporal Tyler Chandler, our community policing officer at 394-3092.
2. Some better news: the Nashville Business Journal announced today that MJ was Tennessee’s number one business friendly city as declared by the Tennessee Center for Policy Research. This is absolutely fantastic news, and speaks volumes to the vision and goals of this community, and of the Mayor and Board of Commissioners of our city. Congratulations MJ! Click below for a link to go to the full story.
http://www.bizjournals.com/nashville/feature/tennessee-center-for-policy-research.html?surround=etf&ana=e_article
3. Calling all Citizens interested in alternative transportation, clean air, traffic mitigation, healthy lifestyles, and biking. We will be holding a public meeting for Phase 3 of our West Division Greenway project this Monday at 5:00 p.m., in City Hall. To refresh your memory, we should be finishing up Phase 1 construction, which runs from the MJ Train Station to 4th Avenue within the next few weeks . . . stay tuned for an announcement on the ribbon cutting. We learned a couple weeks ago, that we were one of the few communities in Tennessee to be awarded Congestion Mitigation – Air Quality (CMAQ) funding, to push Phase 2 initiatives. Phase 2 will take the greenway/bike path from 4th Avenue to Brookstone. Phase 3, the longest, most challenging and most expensive element of the project, will run from Brookstone to South Greenhill Road. Monday’s Public Hearing is a requirement for future grant opportunities. We hope you can join us.
4. Some upcoming Parks and Rec events: Our first ever Urban Master Gardner program is tentatively scheduled hold its kick off meeting on Tuesday, 14 December, from 6 to 8 p.m. in the MJ Community Center in Charlie Daniels Park. Come join Master Gardner and class leader Johnnie Harper of the University of Tennessee Extension, Wilson County Masters Gardeners Association in the ground breaking (pardon the pun) Parks and Rec initiative. For more info call Jan Litterell, at 758-6522. Stay tune to Channel 3, the city’s web page and the local papers for more info.
Our 2nd Annual Holiday and Crafts Bazaar will be held on 4 and 5 December, at the Charlie Daniels Rec Center. Times are 9am to 7pm on Saturday, and 11am to 5pm on Sunday. This Bazaar will feature booths specializing in holiday related items, jewelry, floral, art, crafts, home décor, skin care and much more. We’re expecting over 40 vendors from across the region. It will be a great place to get that unique gift for the hard to buy family member or loved one. If you are interested in a vendor’s stall, call Taylor Bates or any of the Parks crew at 758-5622.
Finally, anticipation continues to build for our 11 December Christmas parade with “Rudy” Ruettinger and Ross Browner as the co Grand Marshals. Rudy is known for the inspirational film about his Notre Dame football exploits, aptly titled “Rudy.” Ross Browner was the fellow who pushed to have Rudy get in during the final game of the season, and who went on to over a decade in the NFL. This promises to be MJ’s biggest parade with tons of floats, marchers, bands, horses and even a nationally renowned bagpiper. The place to be on 11 December is along Mt. Juliet Road, from West Wilson Middle School, north to Division Street; starting at 11:00 a.m.
5. Notice the progress along the North MJ Road project. I had the opportunity to meet with the TDOT leadership and project contractor last week, and they are really pleased with the initiative. Barring major material or weather problems they are looking for an October 2011 completion date; months earlier than originally forecasted.
6. Here's a couple of ways to help support your city:
- The Mt. Juliet Senior Center designed and is selling Christmas Ornaments for $10 each. Proceeds benefit the Senior Center. Contact Pat Gwin at patgwin@comcast.net
- In a similar vein but on a different note, our very own Animal Shelter has 2011 calendars for sale. They are $15 each or (8) for $100. The calendar features animals from our own shelter and has several discount coupons attached. To pick some up, call any member of the MJ Animal Shelter at 773-5533
7. On a final note, if you live or frequently travel towards the southern end of the city, on South MJ Road, there will be some significant traffic changes coming up next week, weather permitting. With help of some technology and some existing asphalt, we’ll be creating a middle turn lane in the South Providence/Publix Number 2 area early next week. This is should be a real boost to commuters and businesses in the area. For more info check out the power point slide on Channel 3.
That's enough for this week. Take care and God Bless.
R. Robertson
Wednesday, November 10, 2010
Update: November 10, 2010
Good Afternoon MJ:
Welcome to another City Manager Update.
1. I’ll start by commending the MJPD, WEMA, Tennessee Highway Patrol and Lebanon PD for their combined efforts during today’s (Wednesday's) fatal crash at the MJ I-40 exit ramp. As of this writing we understand there were two individuals who died. Circumstances surrounding the accident are still being investigated, but at first blush it appears a driver mistakenly tried to enter the freeway from the exit ramp. The truck that was struck was carrying a chemical, initially reported to be ferric chloride. While it was a tragedy, it could have been far worse had others been involved or if there had been an aggressive chemical leak, or any number of other scenarios. Through the joint efforts of the above agencies, a timely damage assessment was quickly done and disruption to the community was minimized. Another note on this is the value of Nixle; please make sure you share Nixle with a friend. Sign up procedures can be found on the city’s web page at www.cityofmtjuliet.org
2. Veteran’s Day is a time for remembering, reflecting and honoring. Don’t let November 11th become just another day off of work; take time to thank a veteran for his or her service and contributions to our nation. On that note, several restaurant and retailers will be offering free meals, discounts or special programs to Veterans tomorrow. Here’s just a few:
a. Applebee's
b. Chili's
c. Outback Steakhouse
d. Lowe's
e. Sam's Club - Over 25,000 Hugo canes will be given away to U.S. veterans in need of mobility assistance.
f. Amazon.com- Free "Veterans Day Honor" MP3 album download. The album includes 12 songs by The Bands and Ensembles of the U.S. Armed Forces.
g. Dollar General - 10% discount for all veterans, active-duty military, National Guard and reserve and their immediate families.
3. Sales Tax numbers just came in today, and MJ’s collections for the month of October continue to be stronger than in 2009. For October 2010, we are up approximately 15% over last year. While that’s good news, we are seeing a decline in year over year increases as a percentage, and the numbers are starting to flatten. Remember; sales tax constitute nearly 60% of the revenue for municipal services and programs in the city . . . all the more reason to keep your dollars at home and “Shop Mt. Juliet.”
4. Another good news story: As of the end of October new housing permits for MJ stood at 300. As a means of comparison, the end of October number was 169. Despite sizeable down turns in home sales and the national economy, 2010 has been an exceptional year for new housing in Mt. Juliet.
5. A few final notes . . .
a. Have you noticed the utility lines along North Mt. Juliet Road (NMJR) are coming down? The NMJR widening project continues to progress well.
b. As noted at the last Board of Commissioners meeting on Monday, 8 November, MJ is slated to receive over one half million dollars towards Phase 2 of the West Division Greenway. This will be a great stimulus for that project.
c. Remember talk a couple years ago about a large flag at the MJ Road/I-40 intersection? The project isn’t dead; work has quietly progressed. We hope to have an announcement in the near future on what many indicate will be a tremendous visual improvement in that area; at no cost to the city or taxpayers. More to come.
Until next time, take care and God Bless. Remember; thank a vet for your freedom.
R. Robertson
Welcome to another City Manager Update.
1. I’ll start by commending the MJPD, WEMA, Tennessee Highway Patrol and Lebanon PD for their combined efforts during today’s (Wednesday's) fatal crash at the MJ I-40 exit ramp. As of this writing we understand there were two individuals who died. Circumstances surrounding the accident are still being investigated, but at first blush it appears a driver mistakenly tried to enter the freeway from the exit ramp. The truck that was struck was carrying a chemical, initially reported to be ferric chloride. While it was a tragedy, it could have been far worse had others been involved or if there had been an aggressive chemical leak, or any number of other scenarios. Through the joint efforts of the above agencies, a timely damage assessment was quickly done and disruption to the community was minimized. Another note on this is the value of Nixle; please make sure you share Nixle with a friend. Sign up procedures can be found on the city’s web page at www.cityofmtjuliet.org
2. Veteran’s Day is a time for remembering, reflecting and honoring. Don’t let November 11th become just another day off of work; take time to thank a veteran for his or her service and contributions to our nation. On that note, several restaurant and retailers will be offering free meals, discounts or special programs to Veterans tomorrow. Here’s just a few:
a. Applebee's
b. Chili's
c. Outback Steakhouse
d. Lowe's
e. Sam's Club - Over 25,000 Hugo canes will be given away to U.S. veterans in need of mobility assistance.
f. Amazon.com
g. Dollar General - 10% discount for all veterans, active-duty military, National Guard and reserve and their immediate families.
3. Sales Tax numbers just came in today, and MJ’s collections for the month of October continue to be stronger than in 2009. For October 2010, we are up approximately 15% over last year. While that’s good news, we are seeing a decline in year over year increases as a percentage, and the numbers are starting to flatten. Remember; sales tax constitute nearly 60% of the revenue for municipal services and programs in the city . . . all the more reason to keep your dollars at home and “Shop Mt. Juliet.”
4. Another good news story: As of the end of October new housing permits for MJ stood at 300. As a means of comparison, the end of October number was 169. Despite sizeable down turns in home sales and the national economy, 2010 has been an exceptional year for new housing in Mt. Juliet.
5. A few final notes . . .
a. Have you noticed the utility lines along North Mt. Juliet Road (NMJR) are coming down? The NMJR widening project continues to progress well.
b. As noted at the last Board of Commissioners meeting on Monday, 8 November, MJ is slated to receive over one half million dollars towards Phase 2 of the West Division Greenway. This will be a great stimulus for that project.
c. Remember talk a couple years ago about a large flag at the MJ Road/I-40 intersection? The project isn’t dead; work has quietly progressed. We hope to have an announcement in the near future on what many indicate will be a tremendous visual improvement in that area; at no cost to the city or taxpayers. More to come.
Until next time, take care and God Bless. Remember; thank a vet for your freedom.
R. Robertson
Monday, November 1, 2010
Update: 11/1/10
Good Afternoon MJ:
We’ve received some wonderful news late Friday evening. MJ has been approved to receive over one-half million dollars in Congestion Mitigation Air Quality (CMAQ) funds for Phase 2 of the West Division Greenway. CMAQ funds flow from the Federal Highway Administration through the Tennessee Department of Transportation (TDOT) for administration to cities and counties with viable projects that help our region address the growing challenges of air pollution. Mt. Juliet’s West Division Greenway does exactly that; providing commuters with options rather than the auto. A special thanks to Mayor Elam, Vice Mayor Sellers, and Commissioners Hagerty, Bradshaw and Floyd for their vision and continued support of alternative transportation.
Speaking of the West Division Greenway, if the weather holds we are looking at a late November or early December completion date for Phase 1. Commuters on West Division Street have been extremely patient with some delays and their courtesy is most appreciated. Phase 2 will move closer to the railroad tracks, so when work does begin on that segment we don’t anticipate the same kind of delays.
As we approach the holiday’s several schools in the city will be hosting special events over the next few weeks. MJ, West and Lakeview Elementary schools are each holding some kind of event this Saturday. Here’s a great chance to not only support your city but our schools as well by “Shopping Mt. Juliet” as we gear up for Christmas. One of the bigger sales this weekend takes place at the Mt. Juliet Christian Academy, where they will be holding their 4th Annual “Shopping Extravaganza”. Our own Kenny Martin, MJ Economic Development Director, advises that if the 4th Annual Extravaganza is anything like the others, shoppers are in for a real treat. Numerous vendors, most of whom specialize in hand made arts and crafts will line the Academy’s hallways. Times are from 0800 to 1700 (that’s 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. for everybody else). This is one of the largest fund raisers for MJCA, there’s games for the kids, and the best thing is there’s free admission. That’s right! Entry is absolutely free! Gratis, Zdarma, Libre, Vapaa, Okeypis, Libero, Frei, Wolny, Ucretsiz, . . . you get the picture. The folks at MJCA really hope you’ll take time out of your day join them and over 60 vendors this Saturday.
We notched another mark in the timeline for the North Mt. Juliet Road widening project with the wooden utility poles slowly starting to come down. Commuters have been commenting that with the curb work recently done, they are starting to really see some progress to this initiative.
Rudy is coming to town, Saturday 11 December. Yes, the namesake for maybe one of the most inspiration films out there, Mr. Rudy Ruettiger, will be co-Grand Marshal along with Mr. Ross Browner, former Notre Dame and NFL football great. More on Rudy to come, but keep the 11th open; it promises to be a unique day in the history of Mt. Juliet.
On a final note, don’t forget to vote tomorrow. It’s important!
Take care and talk with you later.
R. Robertson
We’ve received some wonderful news late Friday evening. MJ has been approved to receive over one-half million dollars in Congestion Mitigation Air Quality (CMAQ) funds for Phase 2 of the West Division Greenway. CMAQ funds flow from the Federal Highway Administration through the Tennessee Department of Transportation (TDOT) for administration to cities and counties with viable projects that help our region address the growing challenges of air pollution. Mt. Juliet’s West Division Greenway does exactly that; providing commuters with options rather than the auto. A special thanks to Mayor Elam, Vice Mayor Sellers, and Commissioners Hagerty, Bradshaw and Floyd for their vision and continued support of alternative transportation.
Speaking of the West Division Greenway, if the weather holds we are looking at a late November or early December completion date for Phase 1. Commuters on West Division Street have been extremely patient with some delays and their courtesy is most appreciated. Phase 2 will move closer to the railroad tracks, so when work does begin on that segment we don’t anticipate the same kind of delays.
As we approach the holiday’s several schools in the city will be hosting special events over the next few weeks. MJ, West and Lakeview Elementary schools are each holding some kind of event this Saturday. Here’s a great chance to not only support your city but our schools as well by “Shopping Mt. Juliet” as we gear up for Christmas. One of the bigger sales this weekend takes place at the Mt. Juliet Christian Academy, where they will be holding their 4th Annual “Shopping Extravaganza”. Our own Kenny Martin, MJ Economic Development Director, advises that if the 4th Annual Extravaganza is anything like the others, shoppers are in for a real treat. Numerous vendors, most of whom specialize in hand made arts and crafts will line the Academy’s hallways. Times are from 0800 to 1700 (that’s 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. for everybody else). This is one of the largest fund raisers for MJCA, there’s games for the kids, and the best thing is there’s free admission. That’s right! Entry is absolutely free! Gratis, Zdarma, Libre, Vapaa, Okeypis, Libero, Frei, Wolny, Ucretsiz, . . . you get the picture. The folks at MJCA really hope you’ll take time out of your day join them and over 60 vendors this Saturday.
We notched another mark in the timeline for the North Mt. Juliet Road widening project with the wooden utility poles slowly starting to come down. Commuters have been commenting that with the curb work recently done, they are starting to really see some progress to this initiative.
Rudy is coming to town, Saturday 11 December. Yes, the namesake for maybe one of the most inspiration films out there, Mr. Rudy Ruettiger, will be co-Grand Marshal along with Mr. Ross Browner, former Notre Dame and NFL football great. More on Rudy to come, but keep the 11th open; it promises to be a unique day in the history of Mt. Juliet.
On a final note, don’t forget to vote tomorrow. It’s important!
Take care and talk with you later.
R. Robertson
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
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
Friday, October 8, 2010
Update: October 8, 2010
Good Morning MJ:
Here’s a few items of interest and FYI:
Tomorrow (Saturday, 9 October) is “Halloween in the Park”, usually the biggest Parks and Recreation event of the year. Activities start at 11:00 a.m. and last thru 4:00 with several costume contests, candy and prizes and lots of fun for the entire family. As an added treat, while the kids are off doing their thing, we’ll have a “City Booth” where mom and dad can come by and check up on city programs and activities. Come join us and at least 75 other vendors in celebrating this annual Fall classic. All activities take place in Charlie Daniels Park. Remember, parking can be a challenge, so plan to come early and spend the day. There’s plenty of food and beverage vendors on-site. See you there.
This Monday (11 Oct) we’ll have a wonderful opportunity to honor and pay respects to the family of Spec Michael Stansbery, who recently lost his life in Afghanistan while serving us. There’s a time honored tradition of providing a handmade quilt to the family of a fallen soldier, and this Monday, at 6:30 p.m. in City Hall, along with the scheduled Board of Commissioners meeting, members of the MJ Quilting Association will present Michael’s family with a quilt. We hope you can join us and want to send out a special invitation to all veterans to be there. If you can’t make it, please tune in to Channel 3.
Work continues to progress well on North Mt. Juliet Road. Motorists will certainly notice the infrastructure is taking shape with curb and gutters being poured. While the official “opening date” set by TDOT is October 2012, barring horrific weather or other unforeseen challenges, the road should be drivable well before that. Again, please remember the merchants of NMJR and consider them when shopping or dining.
Tonight is special for the staff and volunteers of the MJ Animal Shelter. Tonight we’ll recognize the best of the best, those who have volunteered 90 hours or more, with a special dinner on their behalf. That roster includes: Jon Gray, Susan Tant, Lonnie Cannon, Dawn Turner, Holly Ross, Heather and Jacob Rampey, Heather Cravener, Tanya Beadles, Marilyn Pugh, Hannah Beadles, Flora Gibson, Hazel Lauer, and Trisha Morgan. Just a couple weeks ago the MJ Animal Shelter won one of the Greater Nashville Regional Council Awards of Excellence for its “Therapy Dog” program of taking dogs to the various nursing homes in the area. Our Shelter is renown throughout the region and the state and the standard bearer for quality programs and services. On behalf of all of us on Team MJ, the Mayor and Commissioners, and most importantly from the citizens, thanks those who go above and beyond each day to serve our community and its animals.
On a final note, our thoughts and prayers go out to the family and friends of Det. Ric Risner (Ret). Ric passed away this week after gallantly battling diabetes and other complications for several years. He proudly and honorably served the City of Mt. Juliet for many years until his health would not allow him to serve any longer. Ric helped make this community the pride of Middle Tennessee, and today we want to thank him for him and his family for his selfless service.
Take care and God Bless.
R. Robertson
Here’s a few items of interest and FYI:
Tomorrow (Saturday, 9 October) is “Halloween in the Park”, usually the biggest Parks and Recreation event of the year. Activities start at 11:00 a.m. and last thru 4:00 with several costume contests, candy and prizes and lots of fun for the entire family. As an added treat, while the kids are off doing their thing, we’ll have a “City Booth” where mom and dad can come by and check up on city programs and activities. Come join us and at least 75 other vendors in celebrating this annual Fall classic. All activities take place in Charlie Daniels Park. Remember, parking can be a challenge, so plan to come early and spend the day. There’s plenty of food and beverage vendors on-site. See you there.
This Monday (11 Oct) we’ll have a wonderful opportunity to honor and pay respects to the family of Spec Michael Stansbery, who recently lost his life in Afghanistan while serving us. There’s a time honored tradition of providing a handmade quilt to the family of a fallen soldier, and this Monday, at 6:30 p.m. in City Hall, along with the scheduled Board of Commissioners meeting, members of the MJ Quilting Association will present Michael’s family with a quilt. We hope you can join us and want to send out a special invitation to all veterans to be there. If you can’t make it, please tune in to Channel 3.
Work continues to progress well on North Mt. Juliet Road. Motorists will certainly notice the infrastructure is taking shape with curb and gutters being poured. While the official “opening date” set by TDOT is October 2012, barring horrific weather or other unforeseen challenges, the road should be drivable well before that. Again, please remember the merchants of NMJR and consider them when shopping or dining.
Tonight is special for the staff and volunteers of the MJ Animal Shelter. Tonight we’ll recognize the best of the best, those who have volunteered 90 hours or more, with a special dinner on their behalf. That roster includes: Jon Gray, Susan Tant, Lonnie Cannon, Dawn Turner, Holly Ross, Heather and Jacob Rampey, Heather Cravener, Tanya Beadles, Marilyn Pugh, Hannah Beadles, Flora Gibson, Hazel Lauer, and Trisha Morgan. Just a couple weeks ago the MJ Animal Shelter won one of the Greater Nashville Regional Council Awards of Excellence for its “Therapy Dog” program of taking dogs to the various nursing homes in the area. Our Shelter is renown throughout the region and the state and the standard bearer for quality programs and services. On behalf of all of us on Team MJ, the Mayor and Commissioners, and most importantly from the citizens, thanks those who go above and beyond each day to serve our community and its animals.
On a final note, our thoughts and prayers go out to the family and friends of Det. Ric Risner (Ret). Ric passed away this week after gallantly battling diabetes and other complications for several years. He proudly and honorably served the City of Mt. Juliet for many years until his health would not allow him to serve any longer. Ric helped make this community the pride of Middle Tennessee, and today we want to thank him for him and his family for his selfless service.
Take care and God Bless.
R. Robertson
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