Scenic Route
Weekly Update 10/23/2022 to 10/29/2022 #144
Have you ever noticed how it seems that people come to Seymour for a short stay and never leave? Before I explain more, let me share some from my week serving as mayor of the best smalltown in America.
Back in May, we received news that we had been awarded an Environmental Protection Agency grant to help get properties investigated and redeveloped. This week, we finally had our first meeting with the EPA and are ready to start rolling. The grant allows us to not only investigate qualified properties in Seymour but all of Jackson County. Thank you to everyone involved in the application process. I look forward to seeing what develops from this work.
This past week, we had visitors from Accelerate Indiana Municipalities. AIM president Clint Lamb, mayor of Sullivan, and CEO Matt Greller stopped by City Hall to talk shop. They are preparing for the annual Ideas Summit next week and decided to make a tour of member cities. We had a great chance to discuss the good and the bad from our community. Thank you both for the chance to catch up, and I look forward to seeing what new ideas come out of the Ideas Summit.
Seymour Main Street hosted another successful Downtown Trick or Treat. Just in the area of City Hall, we gave out over 1000 pieces of candy. The event is followed by the Seymour Evening Lions Club Halloween Parade. The costumed kids and the Seymour High School band made for an enjoyable parade. Thank you to all the organizers that put the work into both events for our community to enjoy.
Over the years, I have seen more than one person come to Seymour for their career and stay well after retirement. We often hear teenagers, and sometimes adults, that can’t wait to ditch this place. While I can’t say for sure what makes them stay, I can say that they develop an emotional attachment to our community while they are here. I can only guess that the ones who can’t wait to leave have not taken the opportunity to connect. I sat in a meeting this week and listened to a story of a transplant from a major city who declared the only thing we are missing is a coffee shop. Someone then shared some options with him, and now he has found his daily stop. Another story of a new transplant from a community of less than 1000 asked an acquaintance where they could attend church. His acquaintance shared his church and several other choices. Take your pick of the many questions people have when they move across the state or across the country, and you have to wonder where they will find the answers. This is where you, the members of our community, come in. Meet your new neighbor and be available for questions and answers. Grab a coffee or a meal because it is that connection that will help them develop that emotional attachment to our area and want to stay even longer than they planned. One story I heard last week was in the fourth decade of a planned two-year stay. For him, it was getting involved in an area service organization that helped him stay. Someone even sent me a screenshot this week from someone who recently moved to the area sharing how they have been here a month and it is the “best city they have lived in." Today, I leave you with a quote, and hopefully some encouragement, about getting involved and sharing what you know about our area with new faces when you get the chance because as writer Doug Larson said, "Bad news travels fast. Good news takes the scenic route."