Forward Together
Weekly Update 3/1 to 3/7 #6
Henry Ford said, “If everyone is moving forward together, then success takes care of itself.”
Late last week, the story of Airport Road ran in The Tribune. The article started conversations that morning and led to a few more meetings over this week. One meeting was productive in that it allowed us to share what we have already explored or started to explore. It also gave us a chance to have others' input. I would like to thank private citizens as well as our business partners for attending and sharing thoughts and concerns. I would also like to thank our city engineer, Dave O’mara Contractors, and the Indiana Department of Transportation for providing insight into the project and listening to the feedback. We are working on softening the edges of the project's impact as much as we can.
I also attended the Clarity Banquet with my wife and many from our community. This is the second time I have been able to attend and the presentation hit me just as hard as it did the first time. I believe this line from their about page sums it up well. "At Clarity we believe in possibilities. We look at our communities and see people full of potential; individuals whose life paths abound with possibilities.” Clarity provides a number of services right here in Seymour and are just a search away.
My weekly department visit was with the crew from Seymour Fire Department C Shift. As always they fed me well and taught me some new things. Before we talk about the new though, I would like to touch on something that I see week after week in our employees. People first should be a running theme with them. For C shift it was a gentleman who locked his keys in his apartment. Even though he was a bit frustrated, they helped him find solutions to the problem without breaking down his door and causing tremendous repairs. Then we headed into a training session where we discussed what happens when you arrive at the scene of a fire. Who is in charge and what are the roles the first truck and firefighters on scene have all the way to the last guy to leave. While I notice fire hydrants I never think about where they are or how close they are to scene. I also never thought about your house number before this conversation. While we won’t be out enforcing Seymour Code 151.61, it is a good idea to get those three inch contrasting numbers up because the time they help save might just save you or a loved one's life.
Somewhere between sunrise and sunset in the last seven days I participated in and saw several others who took part in Read Across America events at local elementary schools. I took the chance to share one of my favorite children's stories Mike Mulligan and his Steam Shovel at Redding. Like always I was energized by the kids and learned something new from them as well.
Last week also included the annual Chamber dinner. Congratulations to all the award winners and thank you for the care you show our youth and our community. I would also like to welcome Dan Robison back to Seymour. I look forward to working with you.
If you have read this far, I thank you for the chance to assemble our team and thank you for allowing us the chance to work with you to develop what the future of our community looks like. "If everyone is moving forward together, then success takes care of itself.” Thank you Mr. Ford for the reminder of what happens if everyone is moving forward together.