School’s Out
Weekly Update 5/15/2023 to 5/27/2023 #174
“School’s out for summer!” I hope you read that in the voice of Alice Cooper. If not, oh well maybe you can YouTube it so you will next time. Before I share more on this thought though, let me share some of my week serving as mayor of the best smalltown in America.
Every now and again, I sit down to write the weekly update and forget how much went on over the last few days. This was one of those weeks until I looked back at the calendar and realized the week ranged from workforce development to residential development, recycling to recovery, road projects to pool repairs, and so much in between that I won’t have enough time to mention everything in the following paragraphs.
This week, we saw the public information meeting on Phase Two and Three of the O’Brien Street corridor. They were the first of three phases that are currently funded. Using a schedule and system that is given to us from the state, we are three and a half years into the five-year project cycle and are on phase three designs. Many notes were taken to look into comments and concerns as the engineers work towards the final design to be constructed beginning in the spring of 2025. It seems that many don’t realize how much work goes into working on a major federal aid project like this as we work from the lowest sewer line to above ground level trying to coordinate all the pieces in between to end up with a quality project that will last us for decades to come.
This week, I joined the Department of Public Works on Monday morning to kick off National DPW week, where we celebrated our team that works hard to make Seymour look as good as it does. Later in the week, I had a chance to work alongside Juan as he did the curbside cardboard route. When the day was done, we had gathered a full load of loose cardboard along with a few TVs and some electronics waste. Seeing how and why we do things helps me answer questions when community members ask questions. This week, I was reminded that if you want to recycle that new appliance box you need to make sure to remove the Styrofoam because it is not recyclable. Thank you to all of our team at DPW for all you do that many don’t notice.
Every now and then, I pull rank and take care of a job that many volunteer for, but may not really want to do. This past week, as we were trying to get the pool ready to open for the season, we had a couple issues to resolve. One of those issues needed someone to spend some time in the water. The cool early season water is not as much fun as the warmer water that comes later in the season, but even with the lower temps we were able to get the project done and pass inspection to get the slide ready for opening day. Thank you to the above water crew who patiently waited as I worked in and under water. It takes a team, and this community has a team most will never even realize work so hard to make Seymour a great place to live and raise a family.
Alice Cooper released "School’s Out" in 1972, and I am sure it has been an end-of-school anthem ever since. Summer is something different for everyone, and it doesn’t even matter if you are school age or not. Relax and decompress is the goal for some. Hit some new places and make memories might be the answer for others. Push through and get ahead of schedule might be the summertime path of others. Maybe it is just another few months of work for you. Whatever your summer holds is ok because we are each at our own place in life. I hope you enjoy all you can of summer 2023, and I will leave you with the words of Mark Twain and hope that he has predicted the next few months, "Warm summer sun, shine kindly here."