Update: 8/14/09

Greetings MJ:

I had the opportunity to ride in the locomotive of the Music City Star yesterday. Mr. Shannon Joyner, our Deputy Director for Public Works and I were invited to ride along and see how the Quiet Zone was working. Our train engineer for the day was Shawn, and he readily discussed the Quiet Zone and some of the concerns he’s seen since the whistle went silent along the Mt. Juliet portion of the tracks.

My primary reason for this blog is to encourage MJ residents with children to ensure their kids don’t walk or play along the tracks. Shawn told me of repeated instances where the horn is sounded because there are kids along the tracks, particularly in the Willoughby Station area. The Music City Star reaches 60 miles an hour . . . it takes an tremendous amount of time and distance to stop hundreds-of-thousands of pounds of steel moving at that speed. Kids mixed with railroad tracks is simply an invitation to an accident. If you see or know of children who hang out by the train tracks please take the appropriate action.

Congrats to our Parks & Rec crew in hosting last night’s “Bridal Gala” at the Charlie Daniels Rec Center. Ashley of “Bridal Elegance”, along with the MJ Parks and Rec staff totally transformed the gym into breathtaking mini convention center; with vendors catering too soon to be brides and grooms. The organizers told me the “Gala” was a great success and demonstrates the “out of the box” thinking the Mt. Juliet Recreation staff is doing to bring new, innovative programs to the community. Speaking of something different, I hope you can check out our first “Movie in the Park” effort. Tonight (Friday, 14 August) at dusk, we will have Madagascar II, Return to Africa, playing on the lawn at the Charlie Daniel Amphitheater. It promises to be a wonderful family oriented event. Bring your lawn chairs or a blanket. Finally, I hope to see you at our first ever MJ Community-wide Flea Market, on Saturday, 22 August, starting at 0700. Exotic items from around the world plus second-hand “steals” will all be on display in the parking lot of the CD Rec Center. If you haven’t secured your own booth it isn’t too late; just stop by the Rec Center and talk to one of the clerks. See you there.

Thanks to all of you who joined us Tuesday evening at the MJHS for a “Town Hall” meeting on the North MJ Road widening project. If you missed the session we’ve received a copy of the tape from the MJHS video broadcasting department and will be playing it back on Channel 3 most days next week. It’s a good way to keep current on what will be happening along North MJ Road over the next couple years.

Finally, we will be moving the MJ Sewer Department to its new home next week. Sewer billing and services will now be done out of the facility at 2365 N. Mt. Juliet Road, which is at the corner of East Caldwell and North MJ Road. This move allows us to link sewer billing services with our Finance Department; creating a one-stop budgeting synergy the city has never had before. It will take a couple days before we are up and fully operational, but once done we believe it will be far more convenient to our customers.

Take care and have a safe weekend.
R. Robertson

Update: 3/10/09

Good Morning MJ:

Since it has been a while since my last posting, I thought I would bring readers up to speed on a few items.

Our numbers indicate we continue to excel at the MJ Animal Shelter. We have stayed steady state for some time with around 40 dogs and cats as temporary residents. I would like to encourage you to drop by and spend some time with the animals . . . you may either find a friend for life or discover a passion to help.

A hearty congratulations and job well done to the Parks and Recreation staff for their magnificent performance last Saturday in hosting Mt. Juliet’s first Fashion Show at the Park. Over 300 participants crowded into the Charlie Daniels Recreation Center to see the latest in spring apparel for men and women, boys and girls. Even our own Mr. Rocky Lee, Deputy Director of Parks and Rec, who served as the Master of Ceremony for the event, was able to show off in his tux and tails. It was a truly wonderful event and demonstrates how much the crew at your Parks and Recreation Department will do to bring new, innovative programs to our city. Thanks for all you do.

March is renown to roar in like a lion and creep out like a lamb. In that fashion we are hoping that on Monday, 20 March, the Mt. Juliet Railroad Quiet Zone will roar in with the sound of silence. After several years of discussion, untold meetings, reams of emails, and countless phone calls the quite zone is scheduled to take effect on the 20th. A special thanks goes to Mr. Shannon Joyner of the Mt. Juliet Public Works Department, Mr. Bill Drunsic of the Nashville Eastern Railroad for their diligence and vision in this initiative, and to Mr. Randy Williams of the Tennessee Municipal League (TML) for working through the insurance and liability issues.

On a final note, several citizens have asked about plans to finance building the Reverse L; the section of road that will run in front of the new MJ High School . The overall estimate is to be about +/-$3m. TDOT recently selected that project to receive matching funding (50%) based upon award of a State Industrial Connector grant. Since this portion of the road is in Wilson County, technically it isn’t the responsibility of the city to upgrade. However, city elders believe it to be a must do initiative, both for the safety of our citizens and to improve future traffic movement on the eastern part of Mt. Juliet. In that vein City leaders have crafted and forwarded a resolution to the Wilson County Commission asking them to contribute $950k towards construction of the road. Mt. Juliet citizens are invited to contact their county representative and encourage them to fairly and rightly contribute to this project. A full listing of Wilson County Commission can be found at http://www.wilsoncountytn.com/

Take care and have a safe week.

Sincerely,
R. Robertson

Update: 3/1/09

Good Evening MJ:

Just a short posting tonight to encourage those who read this to consider joining us at the Groundbreaking Ceremony for the expansion of the Rec Center and the new skateboard park at the Charlie Daniels Park. We've linked these two major events together and will hold the ceremony on Wednesday, 4 March, at 4:00 p.m. at Charlie Daniels Park. Representatives from Panattoni Corporation, who are donating the materials and constructing the Rec Center expansion, as well as a member of the Charlie Daniels Band will be on hand. Other guests will include Mrs. Crowe, a teacher from West Wilson Middle School and members of her class who were the catalyst for the skateboard park, members of the MJ Board of Commissioners as well as members of the MJ Parks and Recreation Board. We hope you can join us. The Rec Center expansion project will be the largest tangible gift to the citizens of Mt. Juliet in many years, and was made possible through the generosity of Charlie Daniels and Haynes and Whitfield Hamilton of Panattoni.

We expect the Quiet Zone to be in place sometime this month. We've been working hard on that project and all the equipment has been installed. The wait is for the Federal Railroad Administration to certify and approve the project. On a similar note, the plan is to open bids for the portion of the Eastern Connector commonly known as the "Reverse L" later this month. The MJ BOC has approved a resolution petitioning the leadership of Wilson County to contribute to the road, so we are anxious to see what will occur there.

Thanks to members of Crye-Lieke Reality for their kind gift of $500 to the MJ Animal Shelter. Since opening its doors the Animal Shelter has received over $10k in donations or contributions and has not had to buy any food thus far. Also many thanks to all who have graciously given of their time and energy to volunteer at the Shelter, but we are still in real need of more who are willing to make a standing commitment.

One of the things we are most excited about is after years of need, a couple months ago we executed a contract with a national firm to codify our ordinances. Once done we will load the word searchable program to the city web, allowing easy access and search capability to city rules and regulations. Thank goes to Mrs. Sheila Luckett, the City Recorder, and Mr. Jason Holleman, City Attorney, for leading this long overdue initiative.

Finally, thanks to everyone who supported our recent Tennessee Housing Development Agency grant briefing at City Hall. It was standing room only for this crucial program update that affects many in our city. Ben Stewart and Cindy Raymond of the Greater Nashville Regional Council (GNRC) gave an outstanding presentation on how to apply for these grants. We will run the video program on Channel 3 this Monday, Wednesday and Friday at 4:00 p.m. On that note I want to thank those of you who emailed or called me or Tina at the City Hall front desk expressing your appreciation for televising the recent presentation by Mr. Reggie Dabbs and this one by the GNRC reps. As public servants our job is to serve you. While we always won't get it right, our commitment is do our best.

Have a great week.

Sincerely,

R. Robertson

Update: 1/31/09

Hello MJ:

Greetings on this sunny Saturday afternoon. Here’s a few items of local interest to share.

By most all accounts feedback from last Thursday’s citizens forum on fire protection has been positive. I understand this issue is fraught with emotion for many; some thoroughly convinced we must have greater capability to prevent and react to fires within the City; while others concerned with how it will be paid for. Whatever the outcome; be it status quo, providing greater support to WEMA, or initiating action to start our own fire department, it will be a decision made by your Board of Commissioners (BOC). I urge those of you who have thoughts on this issue to contact your Commissioner or the Mayor. A listing of the BOC with their phone numbers can be found on the city’s home page. However, short of sustaining the current course, please know that whatever is decided will require extensive fiscal resources.

On another note, we had tremendous interest in the bids for the Charlie Daniels Skate Park. In addition to building the skate park we will be do some long overdue storm water abatement efforts in changing the contour of the land around the Rec Center. Along with that, we anticipate work to start on the Rec Center expansion project, courtesy of Panattoni Corporation, within the next few weeks. Visitors to the park will notice prep work has begun for the expansion, so be prepared for a little dust and disruption both inside and out of the Center itself. Visitors will also note a new pavilion has just been completed near the back of the park, significantly enhancing our capability to host picnics and other special events. Many thanks to Mr. Dennis Buchanan, Director of Parks and Recreation, and his great crew for all the work they’ve done to improve park and recreational opportunities for our community. And speaking of new recreational opportunities, we hope to see you at tonight’s “Open Mic” inside the gym, at 7 p.m. This is the first time the Parks staff has tried this kind of event, so we have high hopes it will be well received and attended.

I’ve had a number of questions regarding signage at the I-40/S. Mt. Juliet Road overpass. Please know that the Tennessee Department of Transportation (which is responsible for the road) has designed and is fabricating signs and connections for the poles that are now in place. I am advised this area receives a substantial amount of wind, and the previous signs TDOT installed were removed due to vibrations caused through wind shear. As I understand the new cable support system has springs and buffers that allow acceptable movement during windy periods. While on the subject of roads, like many of you, here in City Hall we await outcome of the President’s economic stimulus package since the widening of North Mt. Juliet Road (from Division St. to Lebanon Rd.) is the only “shovel ready” project TDOT has approved in Wilson County. I want to thank Mr. Shannon Joyner, Mt. Juliet’s Assistant Director of Public Works, and the team at Grisham, Smith Engineering who did a remarkable job this last year in keeping land use changes along this portion of the road posted with TDOT so the widening project would be ready once funding was secured.

For those of you who live or regularly drive along W. Division you’ve seen new delineators at the Greenhills/W. Division intersection. This is part of the required quiet zone equipment. From all accounts work progresses well on the QZ, and testing should start soon, with concurrent training of the railroad engineers. The Federal Railroad Administration requires a 21 day notice posted implementing a quiet zone, but we hope soon after that the horns will be quiet.

Finally, here’s another pitch for our new Animal Shelter. We have over 30 dogs and cats that all need good homes. We also have numerous volunteer opportunities at the Shelter. If you haven’t visited the Shelter yet, it is located at 115 Industrial Drive. On behalf of all our “guests” we extend a hearty welcome.

Take care and talk with you later.

R. Robertson