In both the private and public sectors lately, we all wear many hats. As Director of the Community and Economic Development Department, I oversee a department whose hats come in the forms of planning,</p><p>Building, code enforcement, housing, and economic development. Even with planned daily projects, we must immediately shift gears at a moment's notice when contacted by a new business wanting to possibly locate here in town, or to address a grant opportunity that quickly arises, or to board up a building to ensure public safety.</p><p>My day is filled with talking with people from all walks of life. I am given the opportunity to speak with local business owners, developers and local officials, but what I really enjoy is the opportunity to connect with the citizens of Chowchilla at our front counter at the Civic Center. Serving the public and making positive strides for the City of Chowchilla is what I look forward to every day.</p><p>Sometimes in working hard to serve the public, we in government often forget that we need to let YOU know what we do. We may be humble or simply moving quickly from project to project, but we still need to let YOU, our citizens, know the what, when and why.</p><p>As the old saying goes, the journey of 10,000 men starts with the first step. So, I am committed to take the first step to bridge that gap by extending an open invitation to anyone who would like to give me a call and chat. The second step is to write a series of editorials that will hopefully explain what our department does, when we are going to act and why. This is the first of that seriesRecently our Community and Economic Development Department staff has been asked by many in the community why we boarded up several homes. The easy answer is it is against the law. But, the real answer to this question is best left up to each one of us and our commitment to building a strong neighborhood. Building a strong neighborhood requires one to be part of that neighborhood.</p><p>Our City Council shares a goal of Chowchilla being a prosperous and revitalized community that is clean, attractive and safe. We all want the same things. We want a safe place for our children to play.</p><p>We want to walk out our front door and not have to look at the same old junk pile or extremely tall weeds. We want to invite our family and friends over for dinner and not have to apologize for our neighbor's yard. Without worry, we simply want to be able to enjoy our neighborhood and our neighbors.</p><p>To go one step further, to build a strong neighborhood, we all have to recognize and share in the economic well-being of our neighborhood. Like it or not, the sale or rental value of your house is partially dependent on your neighbors. A well-kept home will command value in the market place. This is an economic reality we all share.</p><p>Will we board up more homes? Yes! Are we charging the work to the owner/bank so the city doesn't absorb the cost? Of course! Why are we knocking on doors to talk to people about the car parked on the front lawn, or all the debris in their yard or alley? Back to my message &#x97; building strong neighborhoods! Under the City Council's direction, our staff is trying their best to make Chowchilla a cleaner and safer place for all our residents.</p><p>With limited resources, our preference is always to be a bystander and watch a neighborhood take care of their own and thrive. It's yours to take pride and ownership of.</p><p>Our annual weed abatement program is just around the corner. Last year we had to write over 408 citations to businesses and homeowners for weeds. We believe it is possible to reduce that number by half if owners step up and take preventative abatement measures before the city has to step in. This would allow us to refocus our energy on bigger projects such as retaining existing businesses and, more importantly, attracting new ones.</p><p>We believe in building strong neighborhoods! Please do not hesitate to call our Community and Economic Development Department to report an unsafe buildings or conditions.</p><p>Kevin Fabino joined the city of Chowchilla staff in January. In an effort to update the community on current and upcoming projects along with the duties of his department, Fabino will be writing a series of columns in the Chowchilla News. He can be reached at (559) 665-8615, ext. 400.