Forward Together in 2018 by Daron Hall

Have you ever noticed how time seems to fly when you’re busy?

I’ve worked in several cities over the past thirty years and my favorite times were the busiest. It meant things were happening, people needed my assistance and problems needed to be solved. I prefer to stay busy and I believe it’s in the best interest of our employees and our organization. Fortunately, we have a team that embraces staying busy and works together to accomplish our goals – and we’re beginning to see the outcome. This work has resulted in two very successful years for our community.

As we prepare for 2018, which is shaping up to be our busiest year yet, let’s take a look back at some highlights from last year.

In 2017, we launched a new city website, studied alternatives for providing local power to the community and updated our Imagine Pittsburg 2030 plan. We created a unique partnership with Pittsburg State University to expand economic development efforts, successfully negotiated a land exchange with PSU for a new housing development and celebrated the Block22 groundbreaking. We made significant improvements to the city infrastructure, including a 400-foot extension of the main runway at Atkinson Airport, the passing of a quarter-cent sales tax to improve roads and sidewalks, and the demolition of 91 dilapidated and abandoned structures in the city.

These are just some of the accomplishments we made together in 2017. Now let’s look ahead to 2018.

This year, we will add five new housing developments in Pittsburg – one of which is already underway. These new neighborhoods are crucial to our success, as our community continues to grow. The city will begin construction on six new roads, which includes a major expansion of South Rouse Street, and the addition of new walking and biking paths. We will also install new wayfinding signage and repaint the water tower on Joplin Street, north of PSU. Our new sidewalk program will benefit homeowners and businesses who wish to construct new sidewalks or repair existing ones. Pittsburg’s Mid-City Renaissance District will see further momentum as we open a new dog park, extend walking trails to the area and develop additional sporting fields. The Block22 development will also open this year and usher in a new era of excitement and vitality in our downtown district.

They say time flies when you’re having fun, and we are having a great time, staying busy and working together. We couldn’t accomplish all these things without our city employees and our community partners who make Pittsburg a great place to live.

I can’t wait to see what opportunities arise as we move forward together.