Building Trust Through Transparency: The New Sikeston.org

Today the city's new website, www.sikeston.org, went live. It's the same web address as before, but with a new modern look and lots of new information. In my job I try to build trust through transparency - with my employees, with my bosses (the City Council) and with the public. The city website helps me do that. We've been working hard to get as much information as we can up on the website, and will continue to do more. Here are some things you can find at www.sikeston.org: 

• Budgets
• Audits
• City Council Meeting Agendas and Minutes
• Bid and Purchasing Information
• Document Center
• Map Center
• Event Information
• City Calendar
• Complaint Form
• Frequently Asked Questions
• Employment Opportunities
• Community Links including the Chamber of Commerce, Historic Downtown Sikeston, the Convention and Visitors Bureau, and more.

Additionally, the new website is optimized for mobile technologies like tablets and smartphones, because more people than ever use their mobile devices as their primary means to access the internet. Please check out the new www.sikeston.org; and I hope you'll find what you are looking for! 

Cotton Carnival

I experienced my first ever Sikeston American Legion Cotton Carnival last night, and I have to say that it was awesome. My kids rode a bunch of rides, and we ate some deliciously unhealthy food - ribbon fries with cheese, fried Snickers, and fried Twinkies! The carnival is going on at the Jaycee Rodeo Grounds every evening this week starting at 5:00 p.m., and Saturday starting at noon. On Saturday morning the Cotton Carnival Parade starts around 10:00 a.m. and travels west on Malone Ave starting at Pine St. 

Blazing Colors

The Sikeston Parks and Recreation Department hosts the Trailblazers Walking Club, which is sponsored by the Scott County Health Department and funded by the Missouri Foundation for Health. There is also a Jr. Trailblazers Club for kids ages 6-12. Both clubs meet at the Clinton Building and utilize the adjacent walking trail and park for activities. The goal of Trailblazers is to promote health through exercise and nutrition. Last week the Jr. Trailblazers took part in a "color run" where they jogged or walked on the walking trail, and passed through a few "color zones" where they where sprayed with colored powder! For more information on Trailblazers, visit http://www.sikeston.org/departments/parks/trailblazers.html.     

Greenbrier Ditch Cleanout

After unusually heavy rains this winter caused some localized flooding, the city began analyzing our ditch systems for both maintenance and design issues. The first major ditch cleanout project we have taken on is the Greenbrier Ditch. Decades of tree growth and silting in of the ditch had diminished its capacity to hold and move water. The city engaged an engineer to draw up bid specs for removing the vegetation and restoring the ditch channel to its original size. Below are some photos of the progress of this project.  

This photo is taken from the railroad tracks, facing east. This is what most of the ditch looked like before work began. This portion of the ditch will be completed after the portion west of the tracks, which is shown in the remaining photos. 

This photo is taken from the railroad tracks, facing west, and shows the ditch after the initial pass clearing the trees. 

After cleaning out the debris, this is the ditch immediately west of the railroad tracks. This portion still needs to be "mopped out," i.e. have the channel and banks cleaned up and properly graded.

This is near the far western end of the ditch, where the ditch has been restored to its original dimensions and grade. This photo is taken standing at the bottom of the ditch.

This is the same portion of the ditch as shown in the photograph above, except the photo is taken from the bank above the ditch.  

This is the stilling basin where water collects after leaving the Greenbrier Ditch. Work is still ongoing here. 

Public Safety Open House

The Sikeston Department of Public Safety (DPS) will hold an open house for their new headquarters building on Saturday, July 19, from 10:00 a.m. -4:00 p.m. The building will be open for tours, and several police and fire vehicles will be on display. DPS started working out of the building in July 2012, but final touches, including construction of the public parking lot, have only recently been completed. 

Below are a few pictures of the building, including a photo of the department's July 4 shift change briefing, before officers headed out to the streets for the evening shift. Thanks to these officers for sacrificing time with their families on this and other holidays to help keep the rest of us safe. 

Corporate Games Completed!

I posted about the Sikeston Corporate Games previously, but since then I have participated in a few more events myself, and the games have all wrapped up. Below are photos from the fishing contest (I was skunked), the horseshoes contest (I lost both matches) and golf (where we finished a respectable 6th place). Congratulations to Orgill, who dominated the competition to win the overall championship. Pictures of the winners of each event can be found at http://www.sikeston.org/departments/parks/photo_gallery.html. 

Music in the Park

On Fridays in June, Historic Downtown Sikeston organizes Music in the Park, held from 6:00 - 8:00 p.m. in Malone Park. There is usually BBQ for sale and some free goodies for the kids. The picture below is from a couple weeks ago. Tonight Anna Catherine DeHart will be playing. Anna is an up and coming Nashville hopeful who opened for Kenny Rogers a couple weeks ago!

Sikeston Corporate Games

Every other year, the City of Sikeston organizes the Corporate Games, a friendly competition among employers in Sikeston and the surrounding area. The costs to the city are minimal, and are mostly covered through sponsorships. Teams compete in events such as volleyball, softball, horseshoes, tennis, triathlon, canoe races, fishing, golf, and tug of war. The photo below is from Trivia Night, which sadly, the City of Sikeston team on which I competed was not triumphant. Perhaps predictably, the Sikeston Public Schools team took home the trophy! The famous dogs category really tripped us up...

Pre-Memorial Day Cemetery Walk-Through

In early May every year, a few weeks before Memorial Day, I plan to walk through the city-owned cemetery to assess its condition and ask my staff to make any needed repairs before the holiday. Our park maintenance staff, of course, is doing this throughout the year, but I want to make sure I take a regular walk-through as well. All of the lots in our cemetery have been sold for quite some time, so we have an occasional funeral service and regular maintenance needs, but we basically just try to keep the cemetery nice and tidy for mourners and other visitors. 

Cubs Scouts Scared Straight!

A few weeks ago I took the Cub Scouts on a tour of the headquarters for the Department of Public Safety. Sikeston has a joint police/fire department that also operates the 911 service. The scouts saw everything from the bomb squad and mobile command units, to the dispatch center, to the prisoner holding cells.