From the Mayor’s Desk- May 24, 2010

By CS | May 25, 2010

FROM THE MAYOR'S DESK

May 24, 2010

     I would like to take this opportunity to thank you, the citizens of Central, for re-electing me to serve another four year term as your Mayor. I am indeed looking forward to our City's continued positive growth. Quality of life for our citizens is of the utmost importance to me as we grow and develop together. Indeed this is the purpose for our Master Plan; to guide your elected officials with a tool that will afford the opportunity to maintain and improve our high quality of life.

     The door to my office is always open to all citizens. You are encouraged to contact my secretary, Charlotte Fergerson at 261-5988 to make an appointment to discuss your concerns.

     The election is behind us. We as a community must come together and channel all of our energy for the next four years, together, united as ONE Central.

 

CONGRATULATIONS AND THANK YOU

     My congratulations go out to Police Chief Doug Browning, Councilmen Ralph Washington, Louis Dejohn and Aaron Moak on their re-election to Council for the City of Central.

     Congratulations to Wayne Messina and Tony LoBue on their election to serve on the Central City Council. I am looking forward to working with each of you.

     I want to thank Lucky Ross and Joan Lansing for their many years of service to the continued improvement of the City of Central. Since the inception of the city, both of these dedicated individuals have devoted countless hours to the many successes of the city, school system and community.

 

COMMUNITY ORGANIZATIONS ASSISTING THE CITY

I have had the privilege to organize several groups to assist me with community issues:

MMPAC:Mayor's Ministerial Prayer Alliance of Central

This group was formed in July of2006 and once a month I meet with our community Pastors for breakfast and a time of fellowship and prayer.

I look forward to this meeting to "refill" my spiritual tank each month. I greatly appreciate their time and guidance.

 

S.W.A.T.: Servant Warrior Action Team

This group is comprised of young Christian adults working to help others.

For the City, as we approach cleaning up blighted property and issuing summons, this group will help those who are elderly, handicapped and incapacitated and are hindered in the upkeep of their property. If you feel that you or someone you know fits this criterion, please contact City Hall at 261-5988 and your request will be reviewed.

Many thanks to the members of S.W.A.T that helped with the Cooking in Central Festival. You were a great help, and your shirts looked great!

Your bible verse: 1 Peter 4:10 states, "As each one has received a special gift, employ it in serving one another as good stewards of the manifold grace of God."

A tremendous amount of great things are happening in Central with very positive community involvement. I will continue to introduce these groups bi-weekly in this report.

 

BUSINESS OF THE CITY OF CENTRAL

CENTRAL CITY NEWS VS CH2MHILL LAWSUIT:

The City of Central is not a party to the suit; however, I am monitoring the suit and will support the decision of the court.

CENTRAL THRUWAY-PHASE II

I attended a ground breaking ceremony for Phase II on May 6, 2010. Phase II includes Beaver Bayou #2 and #3 bridge construction, clearing and grubbing; embankment work; Greenwell Springs Intersection improvement and roadway construction from Frenchtown Road to Sullivan Road. For more information regarding this topic, please visit our website at www.Centralgov.com.

BEAVER BAYOU

Roy Hutchinson, Director of DPW for our City Services, has been working with the state to obtain drainage improvement money for Beaver Bayou in the amount of $650,000.00. We are now waiting for Governor Jindal's signature to approve the monies.

SAEDAScandinavian American Economic Development Alliance

I am currently serving on the Board of Directors of this Alliance which consists of six states (Alabama, Arkansas, Louisiana, Mississippi, Kentucky and Tennessee).

I recently attended the quarterly meeting May 6-7, 2010, in Madison, Mississippi, which was also attended by the consulates from Sweden, Norway and Denmark. These countries are very involved with high technology and are interested in locating companies in the United States. My purpose as Mayor of Central is to try to attract a High-Tech company to our city. This is a long, tedious process, but would be a great asset for Central.

 

ZIP CODE

Our appeal for one zip code has been denied by the postal service. This virtually closes the case for our request for a zip code unique to the City of Central.

When addressing your mail, please use:

Central, Louisiana (with your zip code).

This is the only concession the Postal Service allowed us.

Also, in conjunction with this, any deliveries made to your address, please make sure that the City of Central will be receiving the tax dollars involved in your delivery by also using Central, Louisiana (along with your zip code).

This is extremely important to the city budget and our school board budget.

 

This is the first edition of FROM THE MAYOR'S DESK which I plan to publish bi-weekly on a website and deliver to media. The purpose of FROM THE MAYOR'S DESK is to disseminate public information to as many citizens as possible.

The author grants permission to third parties to forward and/or publish the entire text of this edition of FROM THE MAYOR'S DESK including this statement. Forwarding or publication of any edited version of THE MAYOR'S DESK is not authorized by the author.

 

Mac Watts, Mayor

City of Central