A Look Back at 2010 and Forward to 2011

Remember all those old adages or old sayings you mother used with you as you were growing up. You remember them I’m sure. Here is a sample: “An apple a day keeps the doctor away.” “Don’t cross your eyes, they might stick that way.” “A penny saved is a penny earned.” “A stitch in time saves nine.” “Early to bed, early to rise, makes a man, healthy, wealthy and wise.” “Birds of a feather flock together.”

We probably look back and laugh at our mother’s advice—especially when it was given in the words of others (Ben Franklin comes to mind) and in such pithy, terse form. We also may wish that we had paid more attention. Mothers kept our best interests out front. She warned of what might lay ahead. I can imagine that as you read this, you wonder what old adages have to do with a New Year’s article.

Every January I’ve made resolutions that are hard to keep. I resolve to eat less/exercise more. I resolve to work harder and smarter, to cooperate more fully with colleagues, to organize better. We all make these resolutions. So why do I look so overweight and flabby in my pictures? Why am I sometimes stubborn with colleagues, disorganized, why do I do things the same old way?

The answer is probably for the same reasons that you don’t keep your resolutions--lack of focus. Focus—we have lacked focus. It’s not that each of us shouldn’t make resolutions. On the contrary, the New Year is a season for new beginnings, black budgets, flat stomachs, organized calendars and the like.

January is a month that lets us look back as well as ahead. Let me focus on our achievements as a City during 2010, and then suggest some focus on what we will attempt in 2011.

In 2010, the City had eleven major goals that included improvements in transportation, facilities and enterprise funding. In transportation, we completely finished four of five goals by rebuilding portions of Broad Street near Dacula High School including the sidewalks. We resurfaced and stripped Stanley Road and Elvina Court. The City repaired a street failure on Majestic Circle, and resurfaced Rutherford and portions of West Drowning Creek Road. On our final transportation goal the safety improvements on Second Avenue, the City is almost complete on this project. Your favorable vote on the 2005 and 2009 extension of SPLOST initiatives made these project completions possible. We appreciate your vote for these penny sales taxes. We are spending the SPLOST funds in just the way you voted for the projects and in just the way you said they should be spent. Our focus and progress is apparent.

The City has completed two of the six goals involving facilities including increasing the parking in the Historic Downtown Dacula along Wilson Street. The City added several new street lights in certain parts of the City. We are making progress with other projects like our new Maintenance Facility on Drowning Creek Road, a sewer line from the Stanley Road pump station, planning sidewalk connections between Publix and the Cornerstone area. Several of these projects involve construction, obtaining easements and other longer-term activities. So they will be continuing as goals for 2011. Again much of this has been made possible by your support of the SPLOST initiative. The City also made progress in solving a continuing problem with our sanitation enterprise fund. The City made excellent progress in meeting 2010 goals by narrowly focusing on these projects, most of which are included in the short-term work program of our Comprehensive Plan.

So what will the City be focusing on in 2011? Well, we will roll over those goals not fully reached in 2010, i.e. the downtown project. I believe you will agree that the looks of downtown have been vastly improved, and finishing this project will be done early in 2011. The facilities projects just beginning in 2010 will be rolled into 2011 goals including completion of the Maintenance Facility, disposal of the old City Hall will be considered, additional sidewalks will be constructed. Additionally, we expect to go to bids on the widening of Freemans Mill Road, and we expect to complete the acquisition of land and the building of a park in Historic Downtown Dacula to anchor our new downtown look and to bring back the historical gathering-place in Dacula. We are focusing on continuing our balancing of tax-base between residential and commercial in this critical economic time. The Kroger Development will come on-line near the end of February bringing with it new jobs for our community and an improvement in the commercial tax base. The City is also working on the development permit for a new Chick-Fil-A which will also bring additional jobs to the community.

We can’t do everything. But by being focused, we can do a lot. The Council and I, working with our staff, pledge to keep our focus on the things that will make Dacula a stronger community—a place to live, work and play. We appreciate your support in 2010. For 2011 our wish for you at this time of the year is to have a Happy New Year and a great life!