As summer winds down I just want to thank everyone for their thoughts and inputs at the Mayor’s Coffees. I will be doing more of them in September and October. Watch the paper, city website and Garretson Living for locations, dates and times. I enjoyed hearing from you.
The summer was busy; the pool and the parks were busy and for the most part issue free. Our great summer events have been well attended and FUN. We will be very shortly reviewing all the numbers and sharing them with you.
Palisades State Park's new addition opened and it is spectacular. If you haven't visited, you need to check it out.
Our Parks Board has been busy working on new projects and improvements. If you have a little extra time and want to help with parks projects, volunteers are always welcome and needed. The 4th Street Project is up and running, and while the rerouting can be a real pain, the end result will substantially improve our streets and infrastructure.
There are some issues that I want to address. I have heard a lot about Devils Gulch visitor center not being open enough. I understand your concerns, but this has been due to staffing issues. It is hard to find summer employees.
We are working on a plan to make sure one of our biggest draws gets addressed. Any thoughts you might have to solve this dilemma would be appreciated.
Vandalism has raised its ugly head.
One of my neighbors built a nice weatherproof box and placed by his mailbox for protection of packages. It was nice looking until someone kicked in the side of it and destroyed it.
We have had issues with the ball field area from vandals breaking into buildings and destroying picnic tables. Over the weekend of the 16th we had someone drive through and destroyed barricades blocking 4th street. They proceeded to drive across lawns and broke some of the temporary water lines that will serve the residents during construction.
We have seen some street signs that have been pulled out of the ground. There have been reported break-ins of cars.
These acts are senseless and will not be tolerated. Many of these acts cost you, the taxpayers. The Sheriff's department is investigating a number of these acts. If you have any information on any of these incidents I urge you to report them to the Sheriff's non emergency line. Your tips and reports remain anonymous.
Wishing you a wonderful (and hopefully prolonged) fall. -Bruce Brown
