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Weekly update 2/21 to 2/27 #57
Have you ever noticed someone with messed up hair and clothes that are a little messy and thought man, I wonder what they are going through right now? Do you take a moment to wonder the same about someone who is completely put together? As always before I get back to this thought, let me share some of my week.
The Redevelopment Commission, RDC, recently voted to allow up to 3% of their annual revenue to be used for quality of life projects. This decision stems from the work that was done in 2020 on the Economic Development Plan, which identified it as an area we needed to give some consideration. Historically, the focus has been on infrastructure, education, and downtown. Adding this fourth category can help organizations with capital items that add to the fun side of Seymour. While developing this process has not been a quick process, I applaud the members of RDC for their dedication to seeing that it is set up for not only themselves but for future members to use.
Council passed the second reading of an ordinance to rezone several pieces of property along Tipton Street on the west side of town. This work comes from the Planning and Zoning department. I asked them to take a look at each quadrant of the city over the next several years to see that zoning makes sense for that area. This area was already being used as C-3 and would often require a variance from the Plan Commission when something new would open. Now new businesses that are similar to those already in the area will be able to get up and running with a little less red tape. Thank you to everyone involved in cleaning up some of the questions of our community's zoning map.
At a recent Board of Works and Public safety meeting, I had a chance to recognize a few of our employees for years of service. Congratulations to the February team members John Toppe 25 years, Greg O’Brien 25 years, and Jeremy Gray 20 years. Thank you, gentlemen, for your service.
If you were like me and watched the cardigan-wearing Mister Rogers as a child, you picked up on little bits of wisdom. Now I find myself enjoying words of wisdom like this Fred Roger's quote. "In times of stress, the best thing we can do for each other is to listen with our ears and our hearts and to be assured that our questions are just as important as our answers." On a recent department visit, I watched as our trained professionals worked the scene of an incident. As I watched, I noticed the different places mentally everyone was in. Each had a job to do and was focused on their role at the moment. Then as the run was complete, they moved into the next task that needed completed. I am sure pieces of the previous run were on their minds still and possibly will be for some time to come. After this I found myself thinking about this part of the process over and over again. While I would be talking with another person, I would wonder what was going on in their life beside whatever our current conversation was about. When dealing with an angry member of our community, I often wonder is this problem the one that really pushed them this far or is it the one that pushed them over the top? What else is under the current problem that might have led them to this place? In those situations I try to listen and see what I can learn. Sometimes I can’t provide any answer, which is hard for me as I am one that looks for solutions. Those are the moments that I have to remind myself that I don’t know what everyone is facing in their lives and those stresses might be coming out aimed at me or a staff member, and I need to focus on listening with both my ears and my heart.