Mayor shares hopes for 2018

Mayor Jayme Stayton has many goals for 2018, including bringing the community together for the beautification of the city and working on various projects.In 2016, the Daleville City Council approved an updated zoning ordinance that rezoned part of Daleville Avenue and provided limitations on the siding on business buildings and the screen of HVAC units and non-outdoor items or merchandise.At the time the zoning ordinance was passed, existing businesses had two years to comply with the provisions of the ordinance.Stayton said this ordinance would be enforced, and he hoped to see other work done to "clean up" Daleville Avenue."That's going to be the start," he said. "My plan is to get the businesses to clean up, and then fix the sidewalk and just start trying to get some green spots in there. (I also want to) get the community involved with some programs where we can get out there and the city take the initiative and start cleaning up."Adding green spaces and starting a sidewalk project on Daleville Avenue were topics that were briefly discussed during work sessions throughout 2017.Stayton also said that he would like to try to get in contact with building owners to try to work on upgrading the look of buildings on Daleville Avenue to include painting the outside of buildings and work on cleaning the grounds around the buildings.He said the city would need to apply for grants to have some of these projects completed."If the city can, some we'll do with grants, and some we may have to pay for ourselves, but in the end, I think will be worth it," he said.Stayton said it takes time to complete projects such as the sidewalk project he hopes to see started."We have a plan of action, but we just have to take it one step at a time," he said. "The grant process, of course, can be a long one at times, but there's little stuff we can start doing now to get ready for the bigger stuff."The majority of people in Daleville take pride in their stuff and the city, but they can start by keeping their stuff clean. I'm going to make sure our city areas are clean, like the water department and the recreation department. You've got a lot of stuff laying around, junk; we're going to get all that cleaned up."If we don't clean ourselves, I can't ask anyone else to clean. If they can just take initiative by making sure that their stuff is kept up and clean, then when it comes time to volunteer, maybe volunteer for a (day)."Stayton said he is also looking forward to completing other projects in 2018, including the second phase of Culpepper Park and paving and water line projects.He said he will also be putting more focus on contacting industries to try to bring more jobs to the area."That's going to be a big focus the rest of this term," he said. "That's hard to get somebody to come in here. That's going to take a lot of work, but that's one of my goals for 2018."Though he will put more focus on industry, he said the city is still growing with two more businesses coming. One restaurant is preparing to open a location in Daleville, and an official statement will be made on the second business in the coming weeks.While he is hoping for great things to happen for Daleville in 2018, he said he especially hopes to see more community involvement in government."(Citizens) should come to council meetings and the work sessions and the water board meetings if need be," he said. "I wish the citizens would get more involved. When there's controversy, it's packed, and when there's not any controversy, nobody wants to come. If you don't come, you don't know what's going on."They should attend meetings so they know not just controversial stuff, but what's happening in the city, which way our city is going. If they want to get involved, they'll have a better understanding of what's going on. Instead of hearing it secondhand, they'll hear it firsthand."One way to get involved, besides attending government meetings, is to become a member of one of the several boards the city has, Stayton said.The city has several board vacancies that need to be filled. The city's boards are the Board of Adjustments, the Daleville Redevelopment Authority, the Industrial Development Board and the City Tree Board.Stayton said these boards are a great way to start a career serving the community or in politics, especially for younger citizens. He also said serving on these boards does not take a lot of time, and the boards are important to the community."Boards make decisions, so maybe you want to be in politics one day making decisions," he said. "You can do that, being on something as small as just a tree board or a redevelopment board with the City of Daleville. That's a notch on your belt."You can say, 'I have served on a Redevelopment Board,' or 'I have served on this board.' You're making decisions for your community because, believe it our not, as a mayor or a council, sometimes, we have to do what these boards say."For those who are already involved with the community, Stayton said he was thankful for their service."Daleville's citizens are some of the best out there," he said. "They're caring, they take pride in their stuff and they're always willing to give a helping hand in the community. They're just warm, nice people."For information about participating on city boards, contact City Clerk Angelia Filmore.Stayton said he hopes to see the City of Daleville grow in 2018, and he plans to use and improve those skills he learned during his first year in office to help the city thrive."I have high hopes that Daleville will continue to grow in economic areas and in industry; we want more housing, jobs, retail and a big thing is the beautification of Daleville," he said.