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Just over a year ago, most of us approached 2020 with optimism and said, bring it on. It is safe to say that 2020 did just that. But, we persevered and stood up to the challenge. The same can be said for the city of Selma. Even in the face of a global pandemic, and a number of social or political issues, we continue to build on the success of previous years. This success is a testament to the hard work and planning of past elected officials

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and staff, while some of this success is due in large part to the hardworking men and women in

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Selma, that came to work each day with the purpose of helping our neighbors get through these tough

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times. As we wrap up the events of the past year, we are certain that the promise of 2020 was not

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lost, it was just postponed. Despite the uncertainty that dominated much of the past year, Selma saw another

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year of continued commercial growth in 2020.

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EWALT Cabota, one of central Texas's most renowned agriculture machinery dealers, opened

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its newest location in Selma, moving into the location just off Interstate 35, formerly

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occupied by Rushbuss Center.

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In November 2020, Mercedes-Benz of Selma celebrated the grand opening of their new dealership

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at the corner of Interstate 35 in corporate drive, becoming the newest neighbor to City Hall.

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We also saw further commercial growth in the area of the Titan industrial park, with

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the official opening of Penske truck rentals.

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This 24,000 square foot facility adds yet another world-renowned business to the Selma family.

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Fire boys mechanical and plumbing also completed construction on their new luxurious company

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headquarters in late 2020.

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This new complex serves as the central location for all facets of the fire boys company, with

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It's plenty of room to accommodate their growing air conditioning heating, bombing and mechanical

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divisions.

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Fire boys looks to bring more than 300 jobs to Selma.

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Also during the Selma team is Hugo Juicere.

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In one stop shop for superfruit bowls, smoothies, and a variety of juice options to help customers

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find their healthiest selves.

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Hugo, located at Formpoint Shopping Center, strives to make an impact not just with their

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products, but also by promoting the positive influence in the community.

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Hi, I'm Marisa Perez-Dias.

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And our final day is, we're the owners of Google, here in Selma.

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We're very happy to have the opportunity to expand in Selma.

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And when we're looking to see where our expansion plans took us,

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the city of Selma was a natural choice.

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The city is in a wonderful job, creating infrastructure,

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community field, and ensuring that residents have a wonderful quality of life,

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that aligns exactly to our business goals and allow us to operate in the way that we can.

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Not only provide wonderful product and service in the community,

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but also community to see the benefits of that wonderful atmosphere.

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We are proud to welcome Hugo Juicy, our new corporate partners,

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to town and look forward to their healthy success.

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We have continued to see growth in the residential sector as well.

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New home construction in some of the parkestates also continues

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as more and more people moved to Selma to enjoy the small town atmosphere with the luxuries of

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the big city.

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Also beginning construction in 2020 was Selma's newest single-family home subdivision

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Sunrise Village. Sunrise Village, which is located on Latama Parkway, will provide over 90 new

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upscale living options for new residents. Selma is also proud to welcome a new multi-family housing

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project along lookout road near the Selma live oak city limits. Construction on the

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citadel at lookout apartment complex which will contain over 300 units is also currently

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under construction. Once completed this new complex will provide another multi-family residence

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option with easy access to interstate 35 and loop 6.04. Over the last year Selma saw a number of

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quality of live projects for our residents and businesses. One such project was a construction

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of a splash pad at stage.park. This 3,220 square foot oasis will serve to provide much needed

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relief from the sweltering Texas sun. Although the initial grand opening had to be postponed due

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to COVID-19 concerns, we plan to celebrate the style as the weather warms up in 2021.

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2020 also saw the further development of the historic Jonas Harrison House and property come to fruition.

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The additional trail systems, tree orchards, and natural landscapes further enhance the rich history of one of Selma's original homesteads.

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Throughout the beginning of 2020, the city also conducted a community-wide survey to assess the city's parts to find out just what our residents wanted to see in future park development.

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The overwhelmingly positive feedback provided by our residents will guide the city as we develop and enhance our park system.

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With the tumultuous year that was 2020, we also felt it was necessary to further increase

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our efforts to build a sense of community and assist our neighbors in their time of

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need.

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One such effort was the creation of the Selma Small Business Reinvestment Program.

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The Small Business Reinvestment Program is a local economic development program designed

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to help reduce the strain on local businesses caused by the loss of business or implementation

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of necessary safety measures due to COVID-19.

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To date, the city has provided $70,000 to a number of local businesses to help offset

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these costs, and ensure that each one is able to weather the economic uncertainty of the

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health crisis.

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To give you a better idea of what the Selma Small Business Reinvestment Program has done

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for local business, let's hear from Nick Anthony of Papouli's Greek Grill.

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We love being a part of Selma, this is a hundred business, I'm a founder, independent business

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spoke to COVID and really, really taken a hard hit. We took a very hard hit, roughly three months.

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I didn't know if we were going to survive. And so when I saw the grant program that came out of

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the City of Selma, we were able to apply and receive the grant. So we're very grateful of the

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City of Selma for allowing us to participate in awarding us the grant. While we made every effort to

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help our local businesses, the Selma Police Department also stepped up their efforts to provide more

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community-oriented policing services to the residents and businesses within

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the city. Community-oriented policing that combines traditional aspects of

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law enforcement with prevention measures, problem-solving, community engagement,

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and community partnerships. Among the numerous projects that these officers have

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implemented include Toys Not Tickets, a crime prevention treasure hunt, child

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car seat checks, and the annual Salma Citizens Police Academy. All of these

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efforts are designed to increase cooperation and positive engagement with the community

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that are not based on law and order but care and compassion.

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We cannot begin to express our gratitude for these men and women and their unwavering commitment

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to our community.

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The upcoming year will also bring even more upgrades to city infrastructure.

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The key project in our infrastructure upgrades for 2021 will be the reconstruction of Evans

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Road.

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With the onset of the pandemic, this project was postponed in order to ensure the responsible

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fiscal administration that our residents and business community have come to appreciate

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from our city.

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Once completed, the new Evans Road will provide a wider, smoother surface for one of Selma's

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most widely used connector streets.

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We are also excited about the progress being made on a number of upgrades to our city buildings

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and infrastructure.

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In August 2019, the City Council approved the issuance of certificates of obligation for some much needed building projects.

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The approved building projects address a variety of needs to ensure that our city staff is properly equipped to handle the needs of the residents and businesses in Selma.

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One of these building projects provides for a new public works facility on Lookout Road.

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The current public works building is the oldest building at the City Hall's complex

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and is not currently capable of providing the necessary room for staff and equipment.

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The new facility will provide enough space for our public work staff

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while providing enough room for the secure storage of their equipment.

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The second building project is an expansion to City Hall.

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Currently, our development services department, which oversees a number of areas including

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permitting, is housed at the StageStop Visitor Center.

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the City Hall expansion will allow these team members to relocate to the City Hall complex,

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thus providing a centralized one-stop shop for residents and businesses to conduct City business.

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Construction on each of these projects began in August 2020,

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with construction slated to be wrapped up this summer.

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We are also pleased to announce that the chamber will take over occupancy of the stage-stop

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visitor center once City staff has moved to City Hall. This move will establish a permanent

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sell my branch of the chamber in order to better serve the needs of our business community.

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Look, 2020 was a tough year for everyone. What started as the beginning of a new, promising decade

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turned into a nightmare for many. In essence, our world was upended. We can never forget the events

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of the past year, but most importantly, we cannot forget what 2020 has taught us. It taught us that

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that we are all in this together and that we are stronger than we ever knew we could be.

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The success of the past year, even in the face of a global pandemic, are because each of

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you.

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Together we will make the next year one of resurgence and resiliency the likes of which

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we have never seen.

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Now is the time to fulfill the promises that we postponed last year.

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Now is the time to get to work.