Mayor Strickland's Weekly Update

Friends,

You may have seen this by now, but last Saturday I joined Public Works Director Robert Knecht, Deputy Director Philip Davis and a crew from Solid Waste Management to distribute replacement garbage carts in Westwood.

You’ll remember two weeks ago, when I took the blame for what happened that led to some folks not having carts for a few weeks. We’ve rolled up our sleeves and have distributed the bulk of the carts that arrived last week.

I felt it was important for me to pitch in, too. So we ran a route of replacing carts for a few hours, and I was fortunate to meet many of you along the way.

More importantly, we’ve put a plan in place to prevent this from happening again.

Big news on the Fourth Bluff: I returned this morning from Philadelphia, where I was proud to accept on the city’s behalf a $5 million grant from a consortium of four foundations -- the JPB Foundation, the Rockefeller Foundation, the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation, and the Kresge Foundation. It’s part of the Reimagining the Civic Commons initiative, and we join four cities in this exciting project.

So, what does this mean for Memphis? The full details are here, but it’ll involve revitalizing and transforming some of the valuable assets on our beautiful riverfront.

With this, plus the October opening of the Big River Crossing on the Harahan Bridge, the ongoing work to transform the former Peabody Place mall into ServiceMaster’s corporate headquarters, and so much more residential and commercial development, Downtown’s momentum continues to accelerate.

Happy birthday, CLOUD901: Our teen learning lab, CLOUD901, is one year old! You can celebrate with Memphis Public Libraries next Saturday, Sept. 17, from noon to 2 p.m. at the Benjamin L. Hooks Central Library at 3030 Poplar. The event is free.

What is CLOUD901, you ask? It's 8,300 square feet of space filled with technology such as laptops, iPads, MacBook Pros and Airs and more -- all free, and all for teens to check out and get to know.

See you tomorrow: Let’s all pause for a moment and thank Fred Jones and everyone involved in the Southern Heritage Classic, which has an enormous economic and cultural impact on our city every single year.

Better yet, let’s thank the SHC by showing up tomorrow. I’ll be there -- participating in the Orange Mound parade, hosting our tailgate tent, and watching the Tennessee State-Jackson State football game. It’s been a great time already, especially with our college fair today that’s impacting thousands of young people in our city.

Let’s keep it going!

Yours,