Update: August 3, 2011

Good Morning MJ:

There’s a special event that just popped up today that I wanted to pass along to readers. At 3:30, in Charlie Daniels Park, a ribbon cutting ceremony will open “Squirrel’s Run” Tot Park to the rear of the Rec Center by Planet Playground. What make “Squirrel’s Run” special is its namesake, Sam Clark, AKA: “Squirrel”. Sam was the infant son of Mr. and Mrs. Herby Clark, who passed away with SIDS not too long ago. Mr. and Mrs. Clark have lead the charge to capture donations that helped build “Squirrel’s Run”. At last count, through their efforts, over $12k was dedicated in Sam’s memory. It’s a hot day, and there’s lots of things going on, but if you have a chance, stop by and show the Clark’s how much you appreciate their efforts.

Thanks to the hundreds of volunteers and members of the MJPD who turned out last night for National Night Out. Also, a special thanks to Providence Market Place for serving as our host and to Corporal Tyler Chandler of the MJPD for some great planning and coordination. Most people have no idea how much time and effort goes into pulling off a program like this, but it’s this kind of event that speaks to the tremendous close knit fabric that makes up our community.
Movie in the Park. Friday, 5 August, Charlie Daniels Park, Starts at Dusk. Great Family classic film, Aladdin. See you there.

This note goes out to the thousands of you on Nixle or who use the city’s web page. Mr. Taylor, our IT Director, recently shared some data from January to EOM July of this year that you may find fascinating:

We had over 118k hits from 86 countries . . . Wow!
Of the 118k hits, over 50k of them were absolute unique visitors . . . Bigger Wow!
The average time spent on site was 2 minutes and 39 seconds; viewers are not just flipping through.
Other than here in the U.S., in order of use our international visitors come from Canada; India; the United Kingdom; and our friends in Germany.
The top page visited is our “Online Services” followed by Parks.
Nearly 2k visits were made to the CM blog with over 1200 unique visitors.
There’s over 2k Nixle users.
Pretty powerful stuff. Thanks to all of you who follow MJ.

Good start to the school year. The MJPD reports no serious issues or major traffic concerns as school opened up on Monday. We do ask those of you who frequent Charlie Daniels Park most weekdays for football or cheerleading to please use caution and take it slow; the parking lot is full and there’s lots of children running around. Consider joining the Rec Center and come in out of the heat while you are waiting. We have a great exercise room!

On a final note, Mrs. Shirley Benjamin, one of the city’s followers, asked me to forward this timely advise about how to rescue pets locked in cars during these steamy days of summer. Thanks for the reminder Mrs. Benjamin.

Step 1: Try to Locate the Pet Parent
(You can ask most stores to do this.)
Step 2: Educate
Explain the dangers of leaving a pet in a hot car. Make sure the pet gets out of the car as soon as possible.
Step 3: Call 911
Fourteen states have enacted specific laws that protect dogs in hot cars, as have many municipalities—but even in places lacking such a law, leaving an animal in a hot car may constitute cruelty.
Step 4: Pat Yourself on the Back
Pets are counting on people like you to save their lives.

Until next time take care and God Bless.
R. Robertson

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