Magee Mayor Mark Grubbs has been in office just under a month and has already implemented several plans he outlined during his campaign.
One of the first is weekly department head meetings on Thursday mornings with a goal of creating good cross communication so everyone is on the same page. “They’re going really well. Everybody seems to be excited about that,” he said.
At the July 15th board meeting two items referenced by Grubbs are coming to fruition. Magee will now have three county jail inmates working with the city with the goal of increasing workers to four with two on each garbage truck, freeing up four city employees to work elsewhere as Public Works Director Tim Bray needs. Grubbs added, “Still, three is better than two.”
In addition, the mayor credits the Board of Aldermen for accepting the recommendation for a Parks and Recreation Committee similar to those for Zoning and Airport. Grubbs said committee members will be named at the upcoming August 5 board meeting.
Grubbs is meeting regularly with Bray and Forrest Dungan with Clearpoint Engineering to develop a master plan for the city’s water distribution and sewer waste water collection systems. He believes that plan can be developed within his first six months, he said. However, it will likely take a year to begin implementation.
Work also continues on the development of a comprehensive plan for the City of Magee. The last one on file is from 2017. “This gives us a road map of where we want to go in the next 10-15 years,” Grubbs added.
“I’m a real stickler on little things, something people can see. Street signs, stop signs, speed limit signs. A lot of them just need to be cleaned,” said Grubbs. Those beyond repair will be replaced. He also plans to restripe Main Avenue from the railroad tracks to the fire department as soon as possible with center lines, parking spaces, handicap parking spaces and crosswalks.
In closing, Mayor Grubbs said, “I would like to offer my condolences to former Mayor Dale Berry’s family. He loved Magee. He served the city well.”
Flags will fly at half staff in the city in honor of Mayor Berry for at least the remainder of the week.
