Weekly Update

Friends,

We announced a plan this week to provide our annual summer camp programming free of charge to children in the City of Memphis.

It was a plan I was proud to announce in partnership with Councilman Edmund Ford Jr., and you can find more details about the camps here. 

There’s a greater point to be made, though, and it fits into our ongoing theme of reinvesting in our city. In addition to the free camps, we've been able to do this in the space of youth/community programming in the past two-plus years:

• Provide staffed recreation activities at 20 parks this summer, something that hasn’t happened in decades.
• Increase summer youth jobs, with plans to increase them even more.
• Offer literacy programming in summer camps so that children don’t lose reading skills over the summer.
• Open neighborhood library branches on Fridays that had been closed in previous years.
• Hold spring break camps in community centers.
• Increase our library programming and activities for young people.

I’ve said it before, and I’ll say it again: Positively affecting our young people is the moral calling of our time in this city. We’re making real moves with what we do at City government.

Our new site: If you clicked the link above, you probably noticed something different: The story resides on the brand new memphistn.gov, which launched Tuesday night.

Beyond just a nice new look, you’ll notice that the site works on your phone for the first time and has a more logical arrangement of the places you click the most. Plus, we’ll be spending more effort on posting timely and useful news.

Thanks to everyone in Communications and Information Services that made this project a reality.

Pothole update: Since mid-January, when the snow and ice hit, we’ve filled about 12,000 potholes. But as you probably know, we have more work ahead of us — and this week’s rain isn’t helping.

We will continue to work on our streets, but here’s how you can help: Report specific potholes by calling 3-1-1, visiting 311 at memphistn.gov, or using the Memphis 311 smartphone app.

Off the streets: U.S. Attorney Mike Dunavant announced yesterday a set of indictments of alleged drug traffickers, and the arrests got plenty of guns off our streets. The Memphis Police Department was a strong ally in the investigation that led to the indictments.

See you there: Tomorrow at 10 a.m., 1968 sanitation workers will join Memphians from all walks of life at our I AM A MAN Commemoration. Originally scheduled to be a march, the weather forecast has moved our event indoors to the Orpheum Theater. I hope you’ll be there.

Hello, Countrywood: I was fortunate to speak to the Countrywood Neighborhood Association last night. Carl Garrett and his group of leaders in Countrywood are great examples of neighbors who come together to make their neighborhoods better. We went over the concerns they said were atop their list — items like what we’re doing to fight crime, how we’re paving more streets, and our work to reduce active Code Enforcement requests.

Our momentum continues: Great news out of St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital this week, as this life-changing Memphis institution is planning a new $412 million research facility.

Yours,