Waynesville Weekly Updates w/Mayor Sean A. Wilson
Waynesville Weekly Updates w/Mayor Sean A. Wilson
Weekly Waynesville Update for the Week of October 21, 2024
Ever wondered what makes the Fort Leonard Wood AUSA chapter the best in the nation? Join us as Mayor Sean Wilson shares the inside scoop on their award-winning initiatives and their heartfelt support for Vietnam-era veterans. Plus, with the general election on the horizon, Sean provides crucial absentee voting tips. Get the lowdown on all things spooky with details on the Halloween happenings in Waynesville and St. Robert, and don't miss the community's beloved Pumpkin Fest and the memorable farewell concert for the 399th band at Fort Leonard Wood.
Ready to explore new horizons? Discover the latest travel opportunities with direct flights from Fort Leonard Wood Airport to major hubs like Chicago and Dallas. Sean recounts his seamless travel experience, complete with hassle-free parking and efficient flights. These new routes are a game-changer for both business and leisure travelers. We also spotlight the cherished local gem, DragonFoodter, and celebrate the upcoming regional planning commission awards banquet in Lynn, Missouri. Tune in to hear all about the vibrant life and exciting developments in Waynesville!
Good morning. This is Sean Wilson, the Mayor of Waynesville, with your weekly update for October 21st 2024. Over the last week, I attended the annual AUSA conference in Washington DC. There were many great forums that were there, such as Small Business Support and Innovative Ideas, as well as resources for veterans and families. I wanted to let everyone know that the Leonard Wood, the Fort Leonard Wood AUSA chapter, under the leadership of Command Sergeant Major Retired Freddie Brock, has won the best chapter award for the second year in a row.
Mayor Wilson:This organization does a lot of activities for our active duty service members and have a lot of great programs for active duty service members and veterans within our community. You may remember the program that was developed to support and recognize our returning Vietnam era veterans and give them the recognition that they deserve. The city of Waynesville is a sustaining partner in this effort, so we also have great reason to celebrate. Just as a reminder, the general election is on November 5th. With that being said, you can now vote with no excuse absentee at the Palast County Courthouse from 8 am to 5 pm daily until the election On October 31st. The citywide trick-or-t treat hours are from 6 pm to 9 pm. We ask that everyone to spread this word and be safe and as children many children will be walking in our neighborhoods and many of our neighborhoods are not well lit, but we would just ask you that you would please slow your vehicle down and, if you are participating, to turn on your porch light. And if, if you are collecting candy and you see that the lights are off, we just ask that you please respect that person's choice not to participate. Also, this is a reminder to everyone that veterans day will be taking place in the city of Waynesville, um, on November 11th at 11. Um. If you're interested in participating, make sure you contact the Waynesville St Robert Chamber of Commerce at 573-336-5121. It's coming real quick, so I advise you to contact them as soon as possible if you wanna participate or volunteer your services to help us make this as smooth as possible.
Mayor Wilson:Our business spotlight for this month is DragonFoodter, which is located at 307th Historic Route 66, west Waynesville. I actually went over there today. We actually shot a little video for them highlighting this effort and saying thank you for your continued service in our city. They have been in business for almost six years now, been in the city of Waynesville for five years and we're very excited that they continue to serve our community. I really like going to that restaurant on Waynesville Route 66. I advise you and encourage you to go and check it out for yourself On the 18th.
Mayor Wilson:Well, the 18th annual Pumpkin Fest will take place on October 26th, that's this Saturday, from 10 am to 2 pm. This is a free event for the entire community and I want to tell you there's a lot of giveaways and prizes. So I'm going to say come out on from 10 am to 2 pm and also there is over in St Robert's, starting at 5 pm, they are supposed to be doing a trunk or treat as well, so you can come by, hang out with us, play some games, win some things free giveaways and then head right over there at 5 pm at the St Robert Community Center. We also have another event that's going to take place. This is actually going to happen in St Robert. I had someone reach out to me about this event, so it's happening on October 27th from 5 pm to 7 pm. It's a Halloween trunk or treat on Sunday from 5 pm to 7 pm. It's a Halloween trunk or treat on Sunday from 5 pm to 7 pm. So the address is Hidden Valley Plaza, 240 Marshall Drive, suite 6 in St Robert, they are accepting donations for candy as well.
Mayor Wilson:Now, the reason why I'm sharing this is because it's a non-competing event that's taking place this weekend, and if you miss any one of the events that we have here in Waynesville, feel free to go over and support these other events as well. So we just want to spread the wealth, and there's certainly a lot to do here in our community. So if you all have any events that are taking place, feel please feel free to reach out to me so we can share this information. I know it takes a lot of effort to put events together, and the last thing we want to do is have an event that's not supported because no one knew about it. So I want to share this information to make sure that we support all of these events, because we have a lot of great organizations, businesses that are trying to get this information out to the community, great organizations, businesses that are trying to get this information out to the community, and I just ask you to please share this information with your sphere of influence as wide and far as you can, so we can make sure we continue to support these great events and those that put them on Now.
Mayor Wilson:On Fort Leonard Wood at 6 pm at Nutter Fieldhouse on Thursday, the 24th, the 399th farewell concert will take place. I'm going to say that I'm going to miss the 399th band, their precision, their operation and excellence as far as putting on the Christmas concerts and supporting our local community. We're going to say we're sorry to see them go but we appreciate all of the service that they have provided over the years. And these things happen. Those that have been in the military know that there is deactivations and reactivations, but we're certainly going to miss the three nine ninth band. So if you have an opportunity, if you're free, on the 24th um at 6 PM, you can go to another field house and hear the farewell concert. Also on Thursday, the 24th, I will be attending the annual Merrimack regional planning commission awards banquet in Lynn, missouri. We will actually have a couple of participants locally that will be recognized there for awards and I will share more about their names and what they have done next week.
Mayor Wilson:Just to give you a little bit here, I want to give you a couple of updates from our electric department. What they're doing now is they're actually clearing some of the electric right of ways, moving hazards, trees and limbs to reduce the possibility of power outages caused by those items. So as the weather changes we don't want branches on top of the wires and increased power outages. So you will also see our electric department out with the feeder ties and doing construction, creating greater service dependability. That's what they're working on to help to mitigate any outages here in the wintertime. And also feeder upgrades are being created to improve the services From our water waste department, the installation of the water sewer main for our subdivision improvement project, which is, that is, in the summit area. So there are some upgrades that are going on there. As far as our police department, we are completing our canine and handler training for our second canine unit within the city of Waynesville. This is always an exciting time and now we have two canine units. We're really excited and proud to have these resources and assets for our community. We also have in the National Gas the Natural Gas Department, the installation of natural gas main or the subdivision improvement project. So they're doing expansion there as well, still working up in the summit area, and also doing other projects throughout our airport. We are working on our agreement for the new terminal project. We'll be glad to show everybody what that looks like, and we're really excited about that.
Mayor Wilson:Our flights are now available. If you have not heard, from Chicago to Dallas. Those are our two ports that you can fly from the Fort Leonard Wood Airport on Waynesville, you can fly from the Fort Leonard Wood Airport on Waynesville, st Robert, fort Leonard Wood Airport, you can actually fly to Chicago or Dallas Now. Last week I actually I parked my car for free I flew to DC. I went from Fort Leonard Wood to Dallas straight to Chicago. Great trip Didn't lose bags, everything was fine. And then I flew back from Washington DC to Chicago and it was a 57-minute flight from Chicago Once wheels were up, 57 minutes from Chicago back to Fort Leonard Wood and a 10-minute drive home. So I encourage you to go ahead and use this as a resource when you're planning your travels here in the next coming months or next year. That concludes my update for this week and I look forward to seeing you around the town.