Update: November 4, 2011

Good Afternoon MJ:

After posting yesterday's update, several subscribers wrote and asked me to circulate some bits of additional info. With that in mind, here's a few additional items from around the community:

Update: City Housing permits remain strong this year (Jan thru EOM Oct) with 279 new housing permits issued during that time. That ranks well compared to last year's banner of 300 for the same time. To refresh your memory, for calendar year 2010, MJ issued more new housing permits than any city in Middle Tennessee . . . this includes Murfreesboro and Clarksville which are both over 100k in population. Another update, in late September MJ received state authorization for city personnel to conduct required electrical inspections of new or renovated facilities. Since that time city personnel have conducted over 130 inspections, generating close to $17k that now goes directly to MJ as opposed to state coffers. Equally important, we are now positioned to provide more responsive electrical inspection services than state personnel were enabled to do. Many thanks to Mr. Keel, Director of Public Works, Mr. Hicks, Chief Building Inspector, and the entire Building and Code team for this initiative. Good work gentlemen!

311 is now operational! If you need to reach the City of Mt. Juliet, you may dial 311 from any landline or cell phone within the city limits. (AT&T customers will not have this service for now, but it's coming soon.) FOR EMERGENCIES CONTINUE TO CALL 911, but for all other city business you can just dial 311 while within the city limits.

In honor of Veterans Day, here's a few special programs for the vets out there:
* Applebee’s is again offering a free meal to military veterans and active-duty service members on Veteran’s Day, Friday, Nov. 11, 2011.
* Chili’s is offering all military veterans past and present their choice of one of 6 free meals during business hours on the 11th.
* Golden Corral will provide a free meal, Monday Nov. 14 from 5 pm to 9 pm in all Golden Corral Restaurants nationwide. The free “thank you” dinner is available to any person who has ever served in the United States Military.
* Outback Steakhouse is offering a week of Free Bloomin’ Onions and Cokes Monday Nov. 7 – Friday Nov. 11. This offer is available to military personnel who have one of the following forms of identifications: U.S Uniform Services Identification Card, U.S Uniform Services Retired Identification Card, or DD-214.
* The Home Depot is offering all active duty personnel, reservists, and retired military a 10 percent discount off their purchases in honor of Veteran’s Day. The offer is valid on purchases of up to $2,000 for a maximum of $200.
* Fee Free Day at National Parks. To honor America’s service men and women, Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar announced that areas managed by the National Park Service would not charge entrance fees for Veteran’s Day weekend – November 11-13, 2011.

Notice the flag is back in place at Life Assembly? Thanks to Pastor Wharton and the folks at Life Assembly for this great addition to our city! Also, kudos to Seth McDowell, owner and developer of the Old Elementary School (OES) property, for how he and his team are rapidly transforming the center of our city. After a decade of an empty field, the OES is starting to look absolutely wonderful.

Tricia Swaney asked to have this passed along: The MJ Christian Academy's Shopping Extravaganza is this Saturday from 9 to 5 and it's FREE! Called the "Best Shopping Event in Wilson County" this year's edition has been upped from 50 to 75 vendors. The Christian Academy is located at 735 N. MJ Rd.

Ready to Walk? The last "Mayor's Walk" this year will be this Saturday, beginning at the Charlie Daniels Park Rec Center. Come join your friends and fellow citizens at 10:00 in a never ending quest for better health.

Four weeks from this Saturday (3 December) is MJ's annual Christmas Parade. With our own star, Gretchen Wilson, serving as Grand Marshal, this year's MJ Christmas Parade promises to be even bigger and better than ever. Application forms for floats, vehicles and walkers are on line at the city's web page. This year's theme is "Toy Soldier", and entry fees are only $10.00, or the donation of a cell phone that will go to a service member. It should be great day so make sure you put it on your calendar. For more info call Taylor Bates at 566-1660.

That's all for now. Take care and God Bless. Talk with you later.

R. Robertson

Update: November 3, 2011

Good Evening MJ:

Here’s some notes and updates on this rainy Thursday afternoon:

Update on Marty (aka “Pops”) Martin: Marty is recovering well at Centennial Hospital from open heart surgery (5 by passes). He asked that we let everyone know how much he appreciated the cards, calls and prayers. If all goes well he should be released in the next couple days and start rehab. We are inviting all to sign a banner to "Pops." Just drop by City Hall tomorrow between 9:30 and 4:00 to extend him your written best wishes.

While we have a wonderful community, MJ is certainly not immune to the wave of synthetic drug use sweeping large segments of the nation. Synthetic marijuana is an extremely dangerous drug marketed towards children and young adults. It is manufactured with various unknown chemicals which mimic the effect of marijuana. The city has a zero tolerance policy in regards to the sale, possession or manufacture of any drugs or narcotics, and this week arrested a merchant selling synthetic marijuana. Anyone with any information regarding criminal drug activity is encouraged to call the Mt. Juliet Police Department at (615) 754-2550. Information can also be given anonymously by calling (615) 754-TIPS (8477) or via the Mt. Juliet Police Department website at http://www.mjpd.org/ .

We’ve started an initiative where local animal related businesses can advertise at the MJ Bark Park. The Bark Park has been a big success, with far more utilization than we anticipated. If you are one of these businesses or know of one (e.g., vets, food stores, pet groomers, etc.) and want to market your store with a large group of local clientele, call Tina at City Hall, 754-2552 (ext 254) for details. For less than the cost of one newspaper ad, your sign will be prominently displayed for an entire year.

Elzie Patton Elementary School will hold an Expo bazaar on Saturday, 5 November, from 9a.m. to 4 p.m. Come join over 60 vendors, craftsman, artisans, and businesses for a jump on your holiday shopping. For more info call Beth Ruble at 773-9630.

Congratulations to MJHS Principal Mel Brown and his Team for their recent recognition as the best academic high school in the state. Wow, what an honor!

On a final note, Veterans Day will be this coming Friday (11 November), and City Hall will be closed. After nearly a decade of war, we ask all citizens to take a few moments next Friday to contemplate on the service and sacrifices our veterans have made in preserving our freedoms. There will be a special Veterans Day 30 Mile Walk, on the 11^th, beginning at the Legislative Plaza in Downtown Nashville at 5:30 a.m. and ending in Lebanon Square at 5:00 p.m. This will be the 3^rd year for this growing event, honoring our brave uniformed personnel who have given so much for each of us. For more info call Mr. Jim Retzke at 892-9060. Hooah!

Take care, God Bless & talk with you later.

R. Robertson

Update: May 11, 2011

Good morning:

Here’s a quick update on upcoming Mt. Juliet community events. We hope you will join us and invite your friends. Please pass this email on to others.

20-21 May: Relay for Life: Friday, 6:00 p.m. to Saturday morning, 6:00 a.m. Charlie Daniels Park. This is the largest fund raising activity conducted by American Cancer Society. The goal is to raise over $30K to help fight one of America’s greatest killing diseases. Teams are still forming. For more info or to sign up, call Cassy Thompson at 308-3557, or anyone at Charlie Daniels Park, 758-6522.

21 May: Wounded Warrior 5k Run/Walk: Starts at 9:00 a.m. Charlie Daniels Park. Proceeds go to America’s Wounded Warrior Project. For more info or to sign up, call Ryan Armstrong at 289-9181 or anyone at Charlie Daniels Park, 758-6522.

21 May: Armed Forces Day Celebration: Starts at 11:00 a.m. Charlie Daniels Park. Short presentations by MG Max Haston, The Adjutant General, Tennessee, Representative Jim Cooper, with recognition of Mr. Acie McFarland, WWII vet and vets/wounded from other wars. Static military displays and equipment including a Blackhawk helicopter. Info is available at the Charlie Daniels front desk, 758-6522.

22 May: Flagpole Ribbon Cutting: Starts at 12:30 p.m. at the Life Assembly Church, Pleasant Grove Church, across from Wal-Mart. Come join LTG (ret) John Pickler, Vietnam Vet, former Director of the Army Staff and a survivor of the Pentagon 9/11 terrorist attacks, and the congregation of Life Assembly as it unveils the new 180’ flagpole that will be a poignant addition to the city’s southern skyline. The ceremony should last no more than 45 minutes.

30 May: Memorial Day Ceremony: Starts at 10:00 a.m., at the Veterans Memorial at Bond Funeral Home on Mt. Juliet Road/Weston Dr. Join vets, families & friends and members of the MJPD Color Guard as they pay tribute to our fallen heroes. For info call Mr. Stephen DeBord, at (276) 706-1919.

3 June: MJ’s Movie in the Park: Starts at dusk, at Charlie Daniels Park. Bring your blankets and chairs for a night of family fun. Watch the city’s web page for the title of the inaugural edition of this classic summertime event.

4 June: Community Health Day: Starts at 9:00 a.m. and runs to 1:00 p.m., Mt. Juliet Community Center at Charlie Daniels Park. University Medical Center brings together over 30 health related stations, several physicians along with medical professionals to provide absolutely free health assessments and medical info at the city’s first Health Day. For more info call reps at the Charlie Daniels Park, 758-6522.

Finally: Want to make a positive difference in our community? Take the Pepsi Refresh Project Challenge and place an on-line vote for Ava's Splash Pad at Charlie Daniels Park. You may recall just a few weeks ago MJ celebrated Ava's parents’ efforts to build a splash park at Charlie Daniels by holding "Ava's Run for a Reason", with thousands of runners and walkers raising nearly $50k towards this magnificent initiative. Just being selected to participate in the "Pepsi Refresh Project" is a tremendous honor, since only a handful of projects across the country are chosen. Here's how you can help . . . Vote now, Vote every day. Go to http://www.refresheverything.com/build-avas-splashpad or Text: 106253 to Pepsi (73774). By the way, if we win one of the $50k grand prizes, a private donor has agreed to do an equal match!
Take care MJ and talk with you later.

R. Robertson

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