City celebrates Earth Day with check presentation

The city of Gallatin will hold an Earth Day celebration in conjunction with a $2,554,000 mock check presentation from the United States Department of Agriculture Rural Development for its central sewer system at 1 p.m. on Thursday, April 22, at the shelter house in Dockery Park.

The Gallatin sewer system will serve 850 total households and businesses when all individual houses are connected to the system.

“All citizens are encouraged to attend,” said City Administrator Toby Dougherty. “If somebody missed the public hearing recently held on the sewer system, they can still have any questions answered at this meeting.”

Representatives from the Snyder & Associates Inc. of St. Joseph will be on hand to provide information on the project. The firm designed and will monitor construction of the system.

William S. Lewis, Trenton attorney, acts as legal counsel on the project for the city. The Green Hills Regional Planning Commission in Trenton will help the city administer the CDBG program state funds.

Mayor John Thomas and the Gallatin Board of Aldermen will also be present at the meeting. Others participating in the celebration include Dean Brookshire, St. Joseph office manager for Rep. Sam Graves; Randy Railsback and Lance Rains of the Green Hills Regional Planning Commission, Trenton; Troy Culver, project engineer with Snyder Engineering, St. Joseph; Curtis Anderson, USDA deputy administrator for Rural Utility Service, Washington, D.C.; and Paul Wilmes, USDA Rural Development Manager, St. Joseph.

After the check presentation the Boy Scouts and Girl Scouts of Searcy Elementary School will present the flag and lead the Pledge of Allegiance at the Earth Day ceremonies. Western Reception Diagnostic Correctional Center in St. Joseph donated shade trees and the scouts and city crews will plant them in recognition of Earth Day-Arbor Day 2004. Students from Mrs. Henderson’s fifth grade class will also plant trees in recognition of Earth Day.