Step Now
Weekly update #286 7/13/2025 to 7/19/2025
It is easy to forget how much has been accomplished until you see it in print. Before that though, let me share some of my week serving as mayor of the best small town in America.
Congratulations to Seymour Fire Department on the arrival and Push-In ceremony for the new Ladder 3. Assistant Chief Walker shared some history about the ceremony; he also shared about Maverick Flinn who left us too soon. Maverick's father and grandfather both work for SFD, and now one of our apparatus will carry Maverick’s name throughout its career. When you see it in action I hope you will remember its namesake and the smiles he brought to those around him. To the Flinn family, I still have no words, but you all remain in my prayers.
Transit has some new policies and spent some time this week working on explaining them to drivers and the community. The first change comes in the area of a 24-hour call ahead. While they will still take day of pick up requests they are now asking for 24 hours notice when you have a specific pickup time. Longtime riders will realize this really isn't anything new but is now officially in the policy. On the day of calls, we will do our best to be as close as we can to your requested time. The second item is that passengers under eight ride free. The policy about when they can ride has not changed, but now they will not be required to have a pass, token, or fare. One mother already called with a thank you because as money is getting tighter, this will save her hundreds of dollars a year. Thank you, Transit, for all your work on this and so much more.
One of the events that Transit shared the updates at was the Parks and Recreation Pop-Up Party in the Park held Friday at Westside Park. The Fraternal Order of Police was in attendance and gave away over 250 hotdogs along with several other items. SFD was there allowing the public to check out Engine 2. Parks gave away several copies of their printed guide that Leadership Jackson County helped create not long ago. Splash pad, playground, and bouncy house made for some fun memories. Thank you to everyone that came out and had fun, and thank you to everyone who came out and helped make the event fun.
This week, you may have noticed the traffic light power up at 2nd and Chestnut Street. While I believe that the intersection worked well as a four-way stop, and with a semi accident at 2nd and Walnut, we were able to see longterm how the intersection at Walnut worked as a four-way, we were not allowed to remove the traffic light from the project. Both traffic lights were part of the original project when awarded back in 2019 and have been in the design from day one.
While at IU this weekend for the Senior State Championships, I saw several banners noting the program's accomplishments. In the world of swimming, they have dozens of Big Ten Championships, 111 Olympians, and just under 1600 All Americans. This got me thinking about Seymour’s accomplishments over the years. Here are some that come to mind. Over $51,000,000 since the start of 2020 in road work. On the road side receiving over 99% of available dollars for Crossroads Community Matching Grant money. Over 72% of the road total being grant funds. Over $1.8 billion in promised industrial investment since 2007. How about the fact that the Seymour Police Department has a combined 569 years of experience. Over 150,000 Transit rides in just the last five years. The list goes on and on, and each item came from when someone took the first step. This week, I will leave you with a quote from Tim Ferriss, "Tomorrow becomes never. No matter how small the task, take the first step now!"