District 8 City Council Member Robert John Smith, who will soon begin his second term, is looking forward to building on progress of the last two years.
“We’ve had historically high levels of transparency, success in the Shiloh Road corridor, created the TIF and medical district, started short term plans to revitalize First Street, handed the voters the question on funding the replacement of Naaman School Road and refreshed the City Charter,” Smith said. “We’re ready to start the next phase of maintenance and revitalization in the district. I’m excited to have an opportunity to influence and guide that effort.”
The council member knows that District 8 has issues that need attention. One of them is the older neighborhoods that need revitalization.
“We’ve asked voters to approve additional money for streets, sidewalks and drainage as well as other projects that can uplift an entire area and motivate individuals to renovate,” he said. “That bucket of money is shared among all districts, so while I’ll advocate for district-specific projects, the council will work to strike a balance in providing relief to the entire city. Specifically, sidewalks along arterial roads and leading into and out of our parks and common areas help build community and promote outdoor activities. Whether these are privately owned or not, they are a shared resource in the community and need to be maintained.”
According to Smith, aging infrastructure is the district’s primary issue. Most streets and sidewalks were built between 1960 and 1980 and are rapidly deteriorating.
“We’re trying to get ahead of those impending failures. Between working to ensure adequate funding for projects, as a member of the council’s infrastructure subcommittee, I’m working with other members on optimizing the entire concrete and asphalt supply chain. I have a rolling two-year plan that is publicly available on my website under the ‘Agenda’ section.
A valuable District 8 asset is that there is an abundance of jobs at all skill levels.
“We have engineering (AtlasCopco/Epiroc, Fortress, General Dynamics, Garrett), medical (Baylor/VA/Parkland), assembly line (Kraft, HatCo) and a large group of small to medium businesses in both the retail and industrial sectors,” Smith said. “Strong employment opportunities coupled with a stable school district help us maintain a higher standard of living and improve quality of life.”
He added that Garland is a “key part of the industrial and manufacturing backbone of the nation,” which is why council has been so focused on mobility and transportation over the years to ensure that our goods can efficiently reach the far corners of the country.
“Our successes in food manufacturing, drilling, military hardware, I.T. and logistics have given us an economy with long-term viability that can weather recessions,” Smith said.
A problem problem, though, is that Garland’s development peaked in the 1970s and 1980s and much of the infrastructure that got the city where it is now is deteriorating.
“With Garland at 99 percent buildout, we have to both repair infrastructure and reorient it in a way that meets modern development best practices. We don’t want to create another redevelopment/fiscal cliff 40-50 years from now,” Smith said. “Much creativity and hard work is needed. We have to work hard to change the perception that Garland’s best days are behind us and show the public the goals that we are accomplishing.”
He said that Garland ranks fairly high in comparison to other cities in safety and quality of life and that he will continue to use his platform as a public official, along with his blog, to explain what is being done, and more importantly, why it is being done the way it is.
“Partnering with your critics and constituents and giving them access to the decision-making process helps everyone have a stake in our city’s future and it grows the number of home-grown ambassadors that Garland can rely on to tell our story accurately and fairly, Smith said.”
Photo provided by city of Garland.