Monday, July 6, 2009

First progress...

Step 1: Pulverize the existing roadway!

Sunday, July 5, 2009

Road Construction

The City will begin its road construction project on Park Road and Tabor Lane tomorrow morning (Monday, July 6). We'll be working on these streets throughout the week, so please plan accordingly if you drive through that neighborhood.

I'll be out there watching some of the work, so I'll try to remember to post some photos of the progress.

Wednesday, June 10, 2009

Fire Department BBQ

Come out on Saturday, eat some good food, and help out a great organization. The Chico Community Volunteer Fire Department is holding its annual barbeque dinner this Saturday at the fire hall in downtown Chico. Serving starts at 5:00, and plates are $7 for adults and $4 for children. Whole briskets will be available for $40.

The volunteer fire department is one of the most important assets in our community, and the men and women who volunteer depend on our support and donations to keep a strong, updated department. Please come eat and show your support!

Sunday, June 7, 2009

Park Road-Tabor Lane Project

Okay, so I have been talking to people a lot lately about my plans and goals. One of my big missions is to see greatly improved streets in our town. By the end of the year, you should be able to look around and say, "Yes, we can definitely see some street progress."

The first road project is a big one, and I am more than excited to get it underway. As many of you know, we have two new schools going up on the west edge of town. The two city streets bordering that property- Park Road and Tabor Lane- are in no shape for the huge amount of traffic that the schools will generate. Tabor Lane especially is a concern; it is quite narrow and in disrepair.

For the past few months, I have been working with City staff and engineers to develop plans for huge improvements to these roads, and now we are about to go out for bids for the project. When we are finished, Park Road and Tabor Lane will both be 26-foot wide streets with two 13-foot lanes. This is a huge upgrade over the streets' current sizes and conditions and will definitely be appreciated by everyone driving down them.

Obviously, we need some extra land to widen these roads so drastically, but I have some good news: we don't need to expand into any homeowners' yards or properties. I went to the school board, and they graciously granted the City a 30-foot easement for this major project.

All of us at the City are doing our best to keep this project moving, and you can bet that I will let you know when we have accepted a bid and when we are getting the project started. Our first priority will be Park Road, since the elementary school opens in August and its entrance faces that street.

This project is a major undertaking, and I need your patience and your support. It won't be completed overnight, but when finished, these are going to be two great roadways for the people of Chico. It is just one project, but it is a step in the right direction.

As always, if you have questions, ask away.

Take care, and have a good week!

Wednesday, June 3, 2009

Thank you...

Thank you to all of you that have sent all the nice congratulations notes or the words of encouragement this week. It is exciting to officially be sworn in as Chico's mayor, and I am looking forward to what we can accomplish together in the coming years.

This blog is still a work in progress, but I going to be utilizing it more often to keep you updated with our City projects and events. Of course, we'll also still be getting out information in the local newspapers and the old-fashioned way: word of mouth.

I'm currently working on the budget for the next fiscal year, and I'll have more to report on that when we are further along in the process. We have a great streets project in the design phase that will make some great improvements to our City streets. Last night, the Council also adopted several of my recommendations to amend our animal ordinances so that we can more effectively handle some of the situations we face regularly. I'll elaborate on all of these in separate postings when I can, but I just wanted to take a minute to tell you all thank you and to let you know that I am working hard- along with everyone else at the City of Chico- to make this a better place to be. Give me a chance, and I know you'll see a positive difference.

Call me anytime at City Hall at (940) 644-2435 or e-mail me at jdclark.tx@gmail.com. I'm always happy to talk!

Saturday, February 14, 2009

Fire Department Benefit

Hey everybody, don't forget about the chili supper benefitting the Chico Community Volunteer Fire Department today. They start serving food at 4pm at the fire hall, so come on out and have a good meal.

Wednesday, February 11, 2009

Mayor Pro Tem letter

We try to keep a regularly-updated letter from the mayor on our City website, and, as acting mayor, I was asked to write a "Mayor Pro Tem Letter" to the citizens of Chico.

You can check it out here:
http://www.cityofchicotexas.com/mayor.html