Aragon Municipal Judge Terry Wheeler, right, gives the oath of office to Councilman Curtis Burrus, Mayor Ken Suffridge and Councilman Hunter Spinks. They have assumed their positions. (Agnes Hagin/thepolkfishwrap.com)
Suffridge said the new year begins with a “Team Aragon” message.
“I want us to think outside the box,” he said. “People are expecting great things from us, and we do not want to disappoint them.”
He has begun to fulfill a campaign promise to provide leadership so that priorities can be set and issues discussed in a professional and expedient manner.
The first is determining if grants are available for Aragon and second is to get sewer as soon as feasible in areas designated for commercial development.
Suffridge hopes to find additional tax revenues through commercial development to relieve the burden now shared by residential property owners.
He knows this idea won’t materialize quickly but he wants the community to think about a “Downtown Aragon”.
Suffridge said that Aragon’s identity is the “Smoke Stack” from the old Aragon Mill.
Although he wants to use that icon to market the community, the mayor also wants to promote Aragon in other ways. He plans to ask citizens for input as to where they want the “Downtown Aragon” to be located.
Another goal is to encourage more pride in the community by keeping it clean.
He said that many houses and business need repair and do not meet code. Some of these could be posing health hazards and some are empty or abandoned and should be condemned.
Burrus agrees that that Aragon needs to be cleaned up and believes the old mill property could be revitalized.
“It would be great if this area could be developed into some type of commercial district,” he said.
Spinks admits there is much to be done, but centers his focus on recreational opportunities for Aragon's children and youth.
He pledged to be available to the citizens and seeks support in helping make things better. He also hopes more revenue sources can be located to alleviate the tax burden on citizens.
“I would also like to see us build the Aragon Barbecue to its former glory days,” he said. “This could become not only a great summer event but a way to market our community.”
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