Gov't
From the Mayor’s Desk- June 22
CITY OF CENTRAL MAYOR’S YOUTH ADVISORY COUNCIL
The goal of the Central Mayor’s Youth Advisory Council is to provide youth around the community and in schools with an opportunity to have their voices heard and present them with the means to take action in the community.
The Chairman of the Council is Cameron Brown. The youth council works directly with the mayor and with local city leaders to provide service opportunities throughout the community. Each member has either applied or been recommended to serve on the council. These members will have to complete a minimum of 10 service hours with the council on selected community service projects. If a member of the council does not meet these minimum service requirements, their membership on the council will be revoked until such time that the hours needed are met. Upon these requirements being met, the member in question will be reinstated.
The structure of the Youth Council is very similar to that of the Central City Council. Youth Council will be working very closely with the Mayor and Council members.
ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT ACTIVITIES:
Many of the seeds that the City of Central has planted over the previous twelve months are now beginning to “sprout”. Following is a concise summary of the new developments:
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- I have a scheduled meeting for July 28, 2010 to discuss bringing a satellite college campus to the site of the Central Intermediate School, located on Joor Road. This will be the fourth meeting between the city and college officials. The Central Economic Development Foundation has endorsed this project with a $10,000.00 commitment for a marketing grant.
- An agreement with an out-of-state developer has been consented to verbally to explore all opportunities for a Town Center development. We are anticipating that a Memorandum of Understanding will be forthcoming prior to the end of June.
- Two national retail chains visited Central, (unannounced) the week of June 14th. We are hoping to hear the disposition of the visit within one year. An out-of-state retail developer that we met with recently in Las Vegas has identified 32 potential retailers for Central and has begun the process of contacting them.
- Also as a direct result of our trip to the International Council of Shopping Centers annual meeting, we are now working with two motel chains and several restaurants as well as other retail businesses. We have already contacted 30 of these companies and have started to receive follow up responses.
- Tomorrow we are hosting another retail developer in Central, (in-state) ,that we met with at the ICSC. The focus of the visit will be a new retail strip center in Central.
- On Thursday, a specific food chain client will be deciding between two sites that they have narrowed to in Central that will accommodate up to three franchises.
- On July 15th, the Central Economic Development Foundation will be hosting its premier summer event at the Village At Magnolia Square in Central. The focus of the commercial event will be to showcase Central to the retail estate community of the Baton Rouge Metroplex. I will welcome the attendees. Invitations are being mailed on July 2nd to 250 businesses.
- We have been contacted (this week) by an in-state commercial real estate firm to assist the company in marketing a 60 acre tract of land, (located at the intersection of Joor and Hooper Roads) for a Business Technology Park.
- And last, but not least, our Economic Development initiatives have reached the five Scandinavian countries of Iceland, Finland, Denmark, Sweden and Norway. I will be meeting with a trade delegation from this region in August(up to 14 companies). And speaking of Scandinavia, five Swedish companies are tentatively scheduled to be in Louisiana next week to meet with officials in our state in an attempt to resolve the oil-leak crisis in the Gulf. This visit was arranged by the Board of which I am a member, the Swedish American Economic Development Alliance. I am one of five Louisiana Board Members. SAEDA represents six southern states;
Alabama, Arkansas, Kentucky, Mississippi, Tennessee and Louisiana.
CITY OF CENTRAL BEAUTIFICATION COMMITTEE:
Councilman Aaron Moak and Councilwoman Joan Lansing are in the process of founding the City of Central Beautification Committee. We are working to build gateways at all main highways entering the city.
In making contact with interested developers, we have been asked to define our city gateways to further their research for the possibility of their becoming a part of our economic development.
This project is funded through the “Pot-hole” tax. Three percent (3%) of the tax is designated to be used for beautification only. This sum stands at roughly $100,000.00 at this time.
HAPPY BIRTHDAY CITY OF CENTRAL
July 10, 2005, the City of Central was founded with an amazing 48% voter turn out. We
Proudly became the 12th largest city in the state of Louisiana with our citizenship to date stands in excess of 28,000.
I am very proud of the progress our city has made over the past five years. We are making great strides in moving forward. This is an exciting time to be a citizen of
the City of Central.
HAPPY BIRTHDAY U.S.A.
Please join me in celebrating the founding of our great country this 4th of July!
We as a city and nation must band together to keep our government to the standards set forth in our constitution. Also I ask that you pray for our military, past and present and ask God’s protection for this great nation.
**Remember to thank a Vet and a Soldier every time you are afforded the opportunity**
As we say thank you and good bye to Council members Lucky Ross and Joan Lansing and welcome to new Council members, Tony Lobue and Wayne Messina, please pray for and be patient with your elected officials as we grow, learn and develop this great city together.
Our commUNITY is a great place to live and raise our families.
Please feel free to call my office at 261-5988 to discuss any issue.
Thank you and God Bless,
Mac Watts
Mayor
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