Standing in an unfinished jail cell, or in an empty and under construction police dispatch center, we are reminded that Hurst is constantly transforming. Unable to grow larger, the City has to look inward for improvement, just as we have volunteered to enrich our lives with a more meaningful understanding of how our City works. Every step of our journey, our hard working instructors backed by their dedicated staff exposed and explained every facet of the City’s operation. During this class, no topic was off limits, no door remained locked, and no question went unanswered. Truly, during our tour of the Justice Center we looked inside of any locker, or dashed off to see if there really were showers in the bathrooms! While our minds were being enriched with knowledge, our bodies were also nourished as well, especially those of us who realized a salad wasn’t going to do the job and went back for a sandwich, or those who took a sandwich box just to get the cookie inside! On behalf of my fellow classmates, I want to thank you for this opportunity.
We’ve explored the City’s form of government, the budget, and teased Steve Bowden on “Yet another chicken place” opening during Economic Development, Development, and Communications class. We have attended the Town Hall Forum, and the Library where we got to see a staggering number of Community Services under Allan Heindel’s team. We toured our new Justice Center while learning about Police and Neighborhood Services, and Fire Station #1 while learning about Fire and Emergency Services. Public Works and Infrastructure was our last class - and while we couldn’t see every piece of pipe, roadway, sidewalk, or equipment - we certainly saw the scope and breadth of their daily operations. Indeed at every turn we discovered there is so much more to running and maintaining this City than expected. We have seen firsthand the core values of the City demonstrated through the dedicated men and women who are leading us into the future. Thank you for this frank and forthright education. Through the Citizen’s Police and Fire Academies, the Community Emergency Response Team, this class, and the many other volunteer options you have ensured the residents of Hurst have an opportunity to participate directly in Transforming Hurst and we thank you.
