Mayor highlights summer events, infrastructure updates and presents monthly Mayor’s Award

Mayor Ken Adams used the meeting’s staff-report period to highlight recent city accomplishments and upcoming community events and to present the monthly Mayor’s Award.

Adams presented the Mayor’s Award to Chief Operating Officer Todd Andra following a nomination from several department directors. Adams said the award is funded by donated dollars from local businesses, not tax revenue, and presented a $250 cash award to Andra in recognition of his work improving coordination and operations.

In his staff highlights Adams reported multiple infrastructure and community updates: MDOT issued a notice to proceed for resurfacing work along Highway 305 from Camp Creek to State Line Road; contract time for that project is 70 working days with preliminary work underway and a start date approximately two to three weeks out. MDOT also plans to overlay Highway 302 from Malone Road to I‑20/78 with anticipated start in late August or September.

Adams noted a state grant of $1,500,000 is supporting construction of a corporate hangar at the airport, and a multimodal grant of about $350,000 is in place to bring utilities to future hangar sites. Parks and recreation updates included free summer events (July 4 music festival and fireworks) and a disc golf course ribbon cutting; the mayor said park Wi‑Fi has been added by North Central Cooperative covering roughly 2,000 feet from the track and that staff hopes to extend coverage through the park by year end.

Adams also reviewed departmental activity counts (for example, the building department completed 281 inspections and issued 209 permits during June), discussed a community garden pilot with 14 of 17 plots assigned, and reminded board members that a four-year accomplishments summary was on members’ desks for review.

No formal board action was taken on the mayor’s update; the remarks served as informational staff reporting to the board and public.