In this weeks ‘On the Job’ Manager’s Update, Gilbert Town Manager Patrick Banger speaks with Interim Director of Public Works Nicole Dailey about the new things happening in the department and the national recognitions they have received.

I’m on the job with Economic Development Director Dan Henderson, talking about a partnership with ASU’s Masters in Real Estate Development students.  These students could have a major impact on the redevelopment of the Heritage District as we plan the future of Downtown Gilbert.

It’s National Volunteer Week. I’m on the job with Fire Volunteer Coordinator Kim Yonda-Lead, discussing volunteerism at the town. There are many volunteer opportunities to choose from in our communities. Take a minute and thank a volunteer today. If you’d like to volunteer, visit links below and thank you for your service.

Town of Gilbert volunteer opportunities:

http://www.gilbertaz.gov/volunteer/default.cfm

Gilbert Fire volunteers:

http://www.gilbertaz.gov/fire/volunteers.cfm

In this week’s update, I talk with Budget Manager Dawn Irvine about the financial plan and budget process.

I’m on the job with Mark Kramer, Information Technology Director. In this week’s Manager’s Update we’re talking about the town’s Disaster Recovery Plan.

I talk with our Employee and Organizational Development Administrator Julie Landspurg about the Town’s online idea management system that helps employees implement new ideas.

Manager Update – February 28, 2013

Many of you have been following my Manager Updates on my Town Manager blog.  I enjoy connecting with you all and am always looking for new opportunities to interact, share and build new relationships.  In an effort to connect on a more personal level, and to align with our focus to engage citizens and staff through digital communications, my Manager Updates will be moving to a video format for the majority of the time, but there may be an occasional written update.

Last week, Mayor John Lewis hosted and premiered the very first digital state of the town.  The 22-minute video, produced by the Gilbert Digital Team, features council members, business leaders, and other members of our community, while highlighting the town’s many accomplishments in 2012.  Not only does the digital format of this presentation allow for a broader audience to be reached but it also shows viewers all that our incredible community has to offer. If you have not seen the digital State of the Town, I encourage you to watch it at www.gilbertaz.gov/stateofthetown.

Since the inception of the Gilbert Digital Team, they have made significant progress in making Gilbert a leader in digital government, setting a standard here in Arizona and nationally.   The team has produced over 30 short and long format videos, changing the way Gilbert news is shared.  They’ve also made a huge impact on Gilbert’s social media presence and are now actively using Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, WordPress and YouTube to share Town information and connect on a personal level with residents.

They’ve started an initiative called SMART (Social Media Advisory and Research Taskforce) to connect local businesses and organizations that are active in social media.  This group meets quarterly to discuss social media trends and exchange ideas, helping to make the vastly changing social media world more manageable.

In addition, next week Gilbert is partnering with ASU’s College Of Technology and Innovation to launch SPARK App League, the first high school mobile applications contest in Arizona.  SPARK is an acronym for “Schools Participate in Application Resource and Knowledge” and will give high school students from across Arizona the opportunity to create innovative apps that will be used by the Town of Gilbert.  Find out more information about this program at www.sparkappleague.com and stay tuned as the winners of this competition will be announced in May.

These are just a few of the key initiatives we are focusing on to make Gilbert a leader in digital government.  To find out more about what you can expect to see from the Gilbert Digital Team in the future, check out Gilbert’s Digital Roadmap.

-Patrick Banger

If you drove by the Heritage District, followed Twitter or read the news last weekend, you probably heard about the water main break on Gilbert Road near downtown.  The pipeline, which was installed in the early 1970’s, broke Friday afternoon,  and I am proud to say that Town staff responded in a timely, professional, and in an all around impressive manner.  

These types of issues usually occur at the most inopportune times and this was no exception.  Staff worked through record breaking amounts of rain to ensure that the pipe was repaired as quickly as possible in order to prevent flooding and restore traffic access to Gilbert Road.  Cold and rainy weather were just a few of the challenges faced as failed valves, abnormally thick pavement depths, and the close proximity to an active railroad also played a part.  It was truly a cohesive team effort between several departments including Public Works, Water, Wastewater, Risk Management, Police, Fire, Communications, and the Manager’s Office.  Along with Town staff, I would also like to commend Union Pacific for their quick response as well as the community and local businesses for their patience as we fixed this unanticipated issue.

There is still much to be done to repair the road and ensuring that local businesses are not affected by the roadwork is our number one concern.  For this reason, we have decided to hold off on any additional road closures until after Super Bowl weekend.

Incidents like this remind us that Gilbert is maturing and, as our Town ages, so does our current infrastructure.  For so long, Gilbert’s focus was on building new infrastructure to accommodate the massive growth, but now it is also imperative that we look to maintain what is already built. 

With this in mind, the Town is creating a long-range infrastructure forecast and a long-range revenue forecast.  It is critical that we take time today to prepare for 5, 10, 20, 30 years in the future.  I will be discussing our long-term infrastructure forecast in an upcoming update.

Once again, thank you to Town staff for providing “best in class” service last weekend.

 -Patrick Banger, Town Manager

There is no doubt that Gilbert is continuing to grow and one area in particular that is bustling with energy is downtown Gilbert.  If you take a walk near the Heritage District on a Friday night, you’ll be surrounded by the hustle and bustle of patrons dining in local restaurants where they enjoy traditional Chicago-style deep dish pizza, the best BBQ in the region, and European cuisine, just before attending a show at Hale Theatre.  Saturday mornings are no different.  You will enjoy the buzz of people up early for coffee on the local coffee house’s patio, a country-style breakfast or shopping at the Gilbert Farmer’s Market and Art Walk.

Downtown Gilbert is a vibrant area of town that is still growing.  More restaurants will be opening soon, including a Mexican food concept, anticipated in March, run by Upward Projects, known for Postino’s and many other Phoenix-area establishments.  Discussions are currently taking place with other restaurant groups who are interested in opening at least two high-end concepts in the downtown area before the end of 2014.

Recent negotiations to bring a University to the Heritage Marketplace could also bring huge momentum for downtown Gilbert.  Heritage Marketplace will see growth in mixed-use development, including retail, restaurant and office space.  The development will also trigger the construction of a 360-space parking structure.

I invite you to experience the vibrancy in Gilbert. Any time, day or night, downtown Gilbert has something to offer for you and your entire family.  And stay tuned because there’s more excitement to come.
 
- Patrick Banger, Town Manager