Posted 12:06 am Saturday, February 04, 2012
Chandler City Hall, Council Was Busy In 2011 With New Ideas
By BETTY WATERS
Staff Writer
CHANDLER — From creating a master plan to stepped up efforts to communicate with residents, Chandler town government was busy in 2011 with new and ongoing projects, Mayor Ann Hall told residents at the annual Chandler-Brownsboro Area Chamber of Commerce banquet.
Launch of a user-friendly and interactive city website and a new, quarterly newsletter are the latest developments, Ms. Hall announced.
The website can be accessed at www.chandlertx.com. The first newsletter was mailed to residents.
Residents are encouraged to look for the newsletter on the city’s website in the future. Copies also are available at city hall, the drug store and the library.
Those developments came about because city officials “listened” to comments of residents on a city survey saying they wanted improved communication from the city, Ms. Hall said.
The survey was part of the process of creation of a city master plan for the next 20 years.
“We put together a committee of citizens, business owners and community leaders and asked them to dream about what Chandler’s future (could) look like,” Ms. Hall said.
In conjunction with city administrators, they developed actions plans, a series of land use maps and a new city mission statement.
The city also developed a new, three dimensional city seal that better reflects the character of the city, Ms. Hall said.
As part of that, she said, Chandler was the first city in Henderson County to follow a national movement to commit to displaying the message “In God We Trust” in the council chamber.
One thing leads to another and the city refurbished the council chamber along with providing a more attractive display of the city seal and U.S. and state flags.
In another accomplishment, Ms. Hall said, the city published the first Chandler area community services and organizational directory.
“What this brochure did was it finally put into one place all of the nonprofit and community services that are available in our region to help folks that are in need,” Ms. Hall said.
Some of the resources listed in the brochure are located in Athens and some in Tyler, but all of the resources included are available in the Chandler area, she noted.
The brochures are being distributed to churches, the library, city hall and online on the city website.
“Also we began a home rehabilitation grant program to help our citizens living in substandard housing,” Ms. Hall said.
“We hired U.S. Hotel Appraisals to complete a hotel market feasibility study,” she added. “The finding showed that there is a healthy demand for 65-room hotels in our area.” The document can be given to interested developers.
Another really big development was Chandler’s negotiation of a boundary agreement with the City of Tyler to insure Chandler has adequate land for future growth, Ms. Hall said.
Under the agreement, the county line will be the dividing point between Chandler’s extra jurisdictional area and Tyler’s ETJ.
“I’m pleased to say Chandler now has room to grow. They are going to stay on their side and we are going to stay on ours,” Ms. Hall said.
She recalled that the city purchased the historical Ralph Yarborough home. The Chandler Historical Society is raising money to have it moved and renovated in Cain Park.
The city also took over operation of the library in Chandler that has been part of the Murchison-Henderson County Memorial Library system. “Thanks to hard work” of the librarian and volunteers, the Chandler library has won state accreditation, Ms. Hall said.
In another move, the city continued major infrastructure improvements. Those included major renovations of the wastewater treatment plant and the drilling of another well on Martin Street.
“I hope y’all are pleased that during the drought last summer, not one time did the city have to ask our citizens to not water,” Ms. Hall told the crowd.
City officials also are proud of a recently installed program in Chandler police cars that helps them communicate better with one another and with computers in city hall, she said.
Staff Writer
CHANDLER — From creating a master plan to stepped up efforts to communicate with residents, Chandler town government was busy in 2011 with new and ongoing projects, Mayor Ann Hall told residents at the annual Chandler-Brownsboro Area Chamber of Commerce banquet.
Launch of a user-friendly and interactive city website and a new, quarterly newsletter are the latest developments, Ms. Hall announced.
The website can be accessed at www.chandlertx.com. The first newsletter was mailed to residents.
Residents are encouraged to look for the newsletter on the city’s website in the future. Copies also are available at city hall, the drug store and the library.
Those developments came about because city officials “listened” to comments of residents on a city survey saying they wanted improved communication from the city, Ms. Hall said.
The survey was part of the process of creation of a city master plan for the next 20 years.
“We put together a committee of citizens, business owners and community leaders and asked them to dream about what Chandler’s future (could) look like,” Ms. Hall said.
In conjunction with city administrators, they developed actions plans, a series of land use maps and a new city mission statement.
The city also developed a new, three dimensional city seal that better reflects the character of the city, Ms. Hall said.
As part of that, she said, Chandler was the first city in Henderson County to follow a national movement to commit to displaying the message “In God We Trust” in the council chamber.
One thing leads to another and the city refurbished the council chamber along with providing a more attractive display of the city seal and U.S. and state flags.
In another accomplishment, Ms. Hall said, the city published the first Chandler area community services and organizational directory.
“What this brochure did was it finally put into one place all of the nonprofit and community services that are available in our region to help folks that are in need,” Ms. Hall said.
Some of the resources listed in the brochure are located in Athens and some in Tyler, but all of the resources included are available in the Chandler area, she noted.
The brochures are being distributed to churches, the library, city hall and online on the city website.
“Also we began a home rehabilitation grant program to help our citizens living in substandard housing,” Ms. Hall said.
“We hired U.S. Hotel Appraisals to complete a hotel market feasibility study,” she added. “The finding showed that there is a healthy demand for 65-room hotels in our area.” The document can be given to interested developers.
Another really big development was Chandler’s negotiation of a boundary agreement with the City of Tyler to insure Chandler has adequate land for future growth, Ms. Hall said.
Under the agreement, the county line will be the dividing point between Chandler’s extra jurisdictional area and Tyler’s ETJ.
“I’m pleased to say Chandler now has room to grow. They are going to stay on their side and we are going to stay on ours,” Ms. Hall said.
She recalled that the city purchased the historical Ralph Yarborough home. The Chandler Historical Society is raising money to have it moved and renovated in Cain Park.
The city also took over operation of the library in Chandler that has been part of the Murchison-Henderson County Memorial Library system. “Thanks to hard work” of the librarian and volunteers, the Chandler library has won state accreditation, Ms. Hall said.
In another move, the city continued major infrastructure improvements. Those included major renovations of the wastewater treatment plant and the drilling of another well on Martin Street.
“I hope y’all are pleased that during the drought last summer, not one time did the city have to ask our citizens to not water,” Ms. Hall told the crowd.
City officials also are proud of a recently installed program in Chandler police cars that helps them communicate better with one another and with computers in city hall, she said.
