The Mayor’s Corner 06/12/2019

Mayor Diana Thomas

Fiddle Contest is a week away. Preparations are ramping up all across our community. The Committee is busy at the high school and Slocum Hall preparing for the welcoming of contestants and visitors.
The City crews are busy helping prepare too. Crews will be putting up the wood fiddles on poles Wednesday. The Electric Department will be placing power boards in Memorial Park on Wednesday too. The Street Department will be working with the Parks Department to get sprinklers marked, bleachers moved and parking painted on.
Crosswalks are also being repainted around the core business area. The street sweepers will be running this week and crews will be cleaning along the streets and sidewalk areas to get ready for our visitors. Thank you again to the WHS ag students, V.I.B.E., and donors for the beautiful hanging baskets. They add so much to the downtown area. Flags will also go up this week for Flag Day and remain up through Fiddle Week and the Fourth of July week.
The Wastewater crew will be jetting the line from Fry Foods this week. With the increasing temperatures, comes the possibility of more odors around Memorial Park next week. We’re trying to be proactive again.
Work on the storm drains on East Galloway is continuing. New manholes, grates and pipe are being placed. The work by the contractor on the project is expected to begin the week after Fiddle Week and will be done by the middle of August.
Two-a-week garbage pick up is in its second week. Schedules are Monday-Thursday or Tuesday-Friday. If you are unsure of your schedule, contact the City office for additional information.
Please remember not to place grass clippings in the garbage containers. The County transfer site has strict requirements as to what needs to be separated. Grass clippings adds lots of tonnage and cost to their loads to Clay Peak. They have a place to dump clippings and garden materials away from the trash at the site which are treated in a different way. Help our County out by not mixing these materials. This is the same reason materials in our Adopt-a-Truck are not mixed. The Adopt-a-Trucks are available after work each night during the week and on the weekends. Contact the City office if interested in using one.
The City is working with a local electric company to repair the damage done at the Snake River Bridge. The box that holds some of the components has to be special ordered. The crews are working to provide lighting to the bridge until the pieces can be gotten for total repair. The lights may be on continually until that happens.
Be sure to check the Fiddle Week information in this week’s media for all the Fiddle activities and the activities for the Music Festival next weekend.
If you haven’t seen the new mural at the library, stop in and see it. Liz Mowrey and Sandy Mockwitz designed and put together the tree and leaves. The leaves were purchased by local residents and represent families and friends. It is a beautiful addition to our library.
Sandy has also been the forced behind the placement of the beautiful mosaic on the side of her building at Marbella’s. The tiles have been made by students in the BEST Program and local volunteers. After looking for a good visible location for the mosaic, it was decided to place it on the Marbella’s wall and can be seen as you drive down State Street. Hopefully, any further development of the adjacent lot will take in the work on the mosaic. Thank you, Liz and Sandy, for adding to the beauty of our community.