Always forward, never backward -Persistence important in governing and treasure hunting

There is a television show on one of the streaming networks that has a group of people searching and digging up an island for a supposed lost treasure from hundreds of years ago. They have spent millions of dollars in research and planning, travel, and equipment. Will they ever find a treasure? I sure don’t know but what I admire about the group is their persistence and confidence that something is there.

The other thing I admire about this group is that when they have a set back or the results are not what they want them to be, they do not just throw their hands up and quit. They persevere and press forward. They even have a saying that they use and that saying is in Portuguese “Sempre Adiante”, or “Always Forward” in English. What a brilliant way to manage your expectations, Always Forward never backward. These men are always looking to the future, to be better today and tomorrow than they were yesterday.

We at the city, and what we want for each of you reading this is to have a new mindset for the new year and for the rest of your life. To be better tomorrow than you were today, to always look forward and never back. Our great city of Benton has been moving forward for some time now and the growth and movement we enjoyed in 2022 can only spillover into this new year.

We opened a new Fire station debt free to the citizens of this city. This new station serves the community on the west side of the city and helps with any incidents on the highway in the construction zone. What an asset this has already turned out to be and as we add equipment and manpower to that area, we will see continued growth to our city.

If you take a few minutes to drive up the interstate you will see several construction projects at different stages of completion. From coffee shops to restaurants to a new hotel. The hospitality industry here is booming. That speaks volumes for people who want to come and visit or have a ball tournament in town. To give them things to do and places to eat, places to stay will keep people and events coming back to our area year after year.

Our parks department does an amazing job with the recreation in our city. With new Construction projects planned like a mountain bike park soccer complex and Southwest trail route along the river. The next year and beyond will be exciting for the city of Benton as we become a stay and play destination that will be unrivaled in this part of Arkansas.

To our current citizens, Miles of new overlay asphalt line the streets and neighborhoods throughout the city. We have a new sidewalk on carpenter street making those who walk along that busy Thorofare safer. More paving and road maintenance is planned for 2023. While we know it’s always a bit of an inconvenience during the process having great roads adds to the ease of traffic and keeps the city moving safely.

Our Downtown businesses are full and doing great. The foot traffic throughout the area is increasing and we added to the safety by making those sidewalks bike and skateboard free. We placed signs at the intersections of all those streets telling our bike riders to dismount and walk through the area. Doing this has made everyone happier and safer as to not have to worry about getting hit as you step out of a store or restaurant. We are ensuring that our downtown is a place everyone can enjoy.

If you didn’t get down to the farmers market this Christmas time than you really missed out and I really want to encourage you to make your plans to attend at least one of the events, we have each year. People from across the country participated and raved about how they had nothing like our small-town Christmas in their hometown. Creating those magical moments that kids and parents can enjoy together to me is really what Christmas is all about and we have planned this year to make it bigger and better. Of course it takes the community to make it happen and the sponsors and volunteers that come out to help are really our unsung heroes. 21 days of events in December through what some of it was really not good weather and still we had huge turnouts. We even ran out of hot dogs for the Police meet and greet night. My heart was left full and over flowing as I watched kids smile and laugh and hopefully we made memories that those families will talk about for years to come.

So that brings me back to the phrase “Sempre Adiante” Always forward. We at the city want our years and events to be bigger and better each year. That starts this year with the communities help and participation. I don’t know if the men up on that island will ever find the treasure they are looking for but here in Benton we have struck gold and are moving toward to a banner 2023 and beyond. As always, we appreciate each and everyone of you and what you bring to the city.

We want to hear from each of you because we know ideas and great things come from all corners of the city. Thank you for being a citizen of Benton. And moving forward with