Who’s Gonna
Weekly update #283 6/22/2025 to 6/28/2025
It was probably just a picture for social media, but it got the wheels turning for this week’s update. Before that though, let me share some of my week serving as mayor of the best small town in America.
While out on a bike ride this week, I found myself thinking about several roads and how they have changed over my years as mayor. We rate every block of city streets on the even years and use that information as we plan for future grants to help stretch those limited road dollars as far as possible. Some roads like O’Brien Street, which is in the right of way phase currently and is a larger more in-depth project with several more phases and many more years than Crossroads Community Matching Grant projects, take longer to complete. One of the items we have always kept an eye on is concrete roads, which made up roughly 7% of our local streets back in 2020 when I started. While a concrete road lasts about twice as long it has also cost between three and four times as much to replace as its asphalt counterparts. One of those roads as I took office that was on the list was Sprenger Road, and with some sewer related issues, we had to wait until the 2024 cycle of CCMG to get it approved. Just recently, they put down the asphalt after doing curbs and sidewalks getting closer to finishing this long awaited road. As I pedalled down Sprenger Road recently, I was reminded of a conversation with a resident who asked back in 2019 when I was running for mayor if I would fix his road. I assured him as I have done many times since that it is on the list, and when the timing is right, we will get it done, and now we have. Just in case you are curious, repaving all of Seymour’s roads in one fell swoop would be somewhere around $63 million based on the most recent bids for CCMG work. That is a rough number, but I hope it helps you realize why we work so hard on planning to stretch those limited annual road dollars as far as we can. Thank you to everyone who is involved in the planning process and has helped us accomplish what we have over the years.
Forty years ago, George Jones released “Who’s Gonna Fill Their Shoes" which was about singers that would rip your heart out when they sang. Often I think of this song, though, at other times on other topics. Some examples this week include seeing a group take over hosting a gospel music night at Crossroads Park on the 4th Thursday of each month June through September. This event started with Parks and Recreation a few years ago, and they wanted to take it over and grow it with new faces. If it sounds interesting to you, give it a go in July. Another moment where I was thinking about it this week was the Boys and Girls Club Youth Triathlon. Kendra Zumhingst has worked hard at this event since it started a dozen years ago. This year, the Team World Vision group from The Point joined in helping fill volunteer needs and making the event fun for all. Another time George Jones’ voice broke through for me was when I saw a couple of girls snapping a picture near the home of someone that my mother told me about. Mom shared that the homeowner had worked in the world of entertainment. She had written at least one book and traveled at different times to keep our troops entertained. While I would guess that the girls were taking a picture for a post on social media, I couldn’t help but think about that they, too, someday could fill the shoes of the homeowner and go on to entertain our troops, write a book, and the many interesting things that we may not know our neighbors did over the years. Today, I will leave you with a few lines from George Jones and ask,
“Who’s gonna fill their shoes?
Who’s gonna stand that tall?
Who’s gonna play the Opry
And the Wabash cannonball?
Who’s gonna give their heart and soul
To get to me and you?”