Friday, November 4, 2011
Update: November 4, 2011
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
Thursday, November 3, 2011
Update: November 3, 2011
Thursday, October 20, 2011
October 20, 2011
A few updates as we head into what’s forecasted to be a picture perfect weekend.
1. As mentioned in previous blogs and the local newspapers, the MJ Senior Citizens’ Center will be hosting a “Celebrate MJ Walk”, next Saturday, 29 October. Registration starts at 6 a.m., with a 6 miler scheduled for 7 a.m. and a half miler cranking up at 7:30 a.m. As a prelude to the festivities, the Center will have a “Spaghetti Day” Luncheon ( 11 to 2) and Dinner ( 4 to 7) on Friday the 28th (. . . just to stock up on carbs for the next day). All proceeds go to support the MJ Senior Citizens Center. Come out and join Channel 5’s on Vicky Yates and other celebs as MJ walks it’s way to health. For more info, call Linda at 615-758-9114; or write her at director@mjseniorcenter.org
2. A little early, but something to consider: Ms. Hannah Skaggs, a Senior at Wilson Central is working to earn her Gold Award, Girl Scouting’s highest honor. She is doing a community project to host a family preparedness day, focusing on the need for family's to plan for emergencies and disasters right at home. The MJ Lowes has invited Hannah to hold the event at their store, on Saturday, November 19, 2011, 10:00am till 3:00pm. A great thing to put on your calendar for those of us who live and work in “Flood and Tornado Alley.”
3. Did you read about some of the exploits of our own MJPD in this week’s papers? Over $100k in stolen goods recovered! Several teens who were on a car burglary spree caught in the act. A shop lifter busted in Providence with thousands in lifted items. To Chief Garrett, Deputy Chief Hambrick, Commander Mullins, and all the outstanding women and men of the MJPD and Reserves, thanks and well done!
4. Some interesting news: Monday a new ridership record on the Music City Star was set with over 1500 passengers on the train that day. Speaking of commuting, some news circulating that that next July there will be an opportunity for I-40 drivers to purchase passes allowing them to legally drive 1 pax vehicles in the HOV lanes during peak travel times. You might ask what’s the catch? There will be active enforcement to fine those who wither don’t have passes or multiple riders. Another reason to consider taking the train.
5. To better serve our citizens, our Chief IT and Comms ( . . . or the Head Geek as we call him) Mr. Travis Taylor, has navigated the multiple hoops and loads of red tape necessary to allow MJ to implement a “311” call system. Just think, you’ll no longer have to remember what was the number of the section or department you wanted to speak to . . . just punch in three numbers. Here’s a likely script of what you’ll hear: Thank you for calling the City of Mt. Juliet. If this is a life-threatening emergency, hang-up and dial 911. If you know your parties 3-digit extension, you may dial it at any time. Or to dial by name, press 9 now. For the Police Department press 1. For Sewer Billing and City Property Tax issues press 2 . . .
We’re set to unveil the MJ’s 311 system on Tuesday, 1 November, with more info to follow on Channel 3, the local papers and our the city’s web page. Thanks Travis!
6. Here a new one! Partnering with several MJ churches, our Parks and Rec Team will host a teen “Glow Party” the Saturday (22 Oct), starting at 8:00, at the Charlie Daniels Rec Center. The word is out on “Facebook” and we’ve had some terrific feedback about the potential of this event, and what it could lead to in the future. Too often we hear “there’s nothing to do in MJ.” Do you know a teen? Encourage them to head for the CD Rec Center this Saturday evening. Music, refreshments and lots of fun all for the price of a couple trips to Mickey D’s.
7. Get you long range calendar’s out. This is an open invite to join Darlene and I on Saturday, 17 December, at the Charlie Daniels Rec Center for a farewell reception. We’ve made far too many friends and supporters across our city for me to go out individually, so please consider this your personal invitation. It’s starts at 7:00. More on this later.
That’s enough for this time. Take care, God Bless and talk with you later.
R. Robertson
Thursday, October 13, 2011
Update: October 13, 2011
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
Friday, October 7, 2011
Update: October 7, 2011
Good Afternoon MJ:
It’s the day before our annual “Halloween in the Park” blast, and your Parks and Rec Team are busy with last minute preparations in what is traditionally our biggest and best event of the year. Please join us, and over 60 vendors tomorrow for what promises to be a beautiful Fall day. Wear your best costume. There’ll be loads of free candy, great live music, food, hay and pony rides as well as inflatables for the kids. We have over $1k in prizes donated this year for the costume contests thanks to John Barker and his crew at Two Rivers Ford. It all starts at 11:00 am.
Do you have a question on your property taxes? We had another request to publicize the property tax calculator web site. Go to http://www.tennesseetrustee.com/node/13 and just follow the menu.
Kudos to the MJ Animal Shelter’s 501 3C Board of Directors for their excellent guidance and stewardship of the Shelter’s charitable fund. Thanks to them the Shelter continues to have the resources to work with select animals without consuming additional taxpayer funds. They are, in large measure, responsible for raising both the money and food donations that has enabled the MJ Shelter to not spend any operational funds on animal food in now nearly three years. Well Done! Speaking of the Shelter, there will be an Adoption Fair at Halloween in the Park. What a great opportunity to see your prospective pet in the great outdoors.
The Mapco North Station is up and operational. We wish General Manager James and his entire team the best of luck in their bright, attractive and well-designed new store. We also want to welcome a new store, Great Price Cleaners, on Lebanon Road at the Clearview Shopping Center, to the growing roles of new MJ businesses. A few other business notes include Kay’s Jewelers build-out is going great. They should be open just in time for the holidays; the Massage Envy at Providence has an awesome new addition going up; Price’s Collision Center commercials are advertising their new MJ location will be the their largest in the state; the new Firestone Store (behind Cheddars) will hold their ribbon cutting today; and the Diamond Dance Academy at Providence Commons is open for business with a ribbon cutting scheduled for next week. Good luck to all.
Best wishes and God’s speed to the Mission Team from Grace United Methodist (UMC), Providence UMC and churches from around the nation for their mission trip to Zimbabwe, Africa the next few weeks. Under the watchful eye of Mt. Juliet’s own Dr. Paul van Burean, this team will be doing medical, social and construction work with citizens from one of the world’s most challenged nations. Safe travels.
The Annual Martin Cummings Sweet Tooth Auction to benefit United Way - specifically Mt. Juliet Sr. Citizens Center and Mt. Juliet Help Center, will be Tuesday, October 11th at 9:30, with light breakfast at 9:00. Plenty of wonderful cakes, pies, etc., to be auctioned!!! Always a lot of fun, and open to the public!! The event will be at Crye-Leike Realtors on 1285 N. Mt. Juliet Road.
On a final note, the Community Resiliency program is gearing up. To refresh your memory, MJ was selected as one of the seven pilot cities across the US to work with federal officials at Oak Ridge National Labs and the Federal Emergency Management Agency to drill into what makes some communities more resilient to natural, man-made or economic disasters. Last month several of us from MJ attended a Department of Homeland Security session of what the pilot program is designed to do, and how it will be tested in these 7 select cities. The fun part is about to begin, and we wanted to extend an invitation to one or two select persons who want to make a difference in our community, and who has some time and the skills and talents to help us move MJ forward through the program. Does any of this sound like you or someone you may know? If that’s the case call or email me at (754-2552) or Mr. Mark Hinesley, Director of the MJ Chamber of Commerce (758-3478 or cell 668-5614/ email: mtjuliet@tds.net ) to talk about “what if’s.”
Until next time, take care and God Bless.
R. Robertson