MOUNT GILEAD- Several Mount Gilead residents spent the day weeding and raking along with 25 Cross Country team members and their coaches. A few of the high school students also tried their hand using a weed trimmer along the sidewalks by the village ball fields and recreation areas.
Cross country students said they noticed the weeds and leaves around the recreation area as they did their practice runs this month.
“You notice those things as you’re running,” commented Rebeka Chard and several runners.
Assistant Cross Country Coach Sabrina Bolha said the town just needs a little more TLC. She said people and street workers were having to clean up their own yards and haven’t had the time to look elsewhere around the village.
Cross Country Coach Jake Hayes said he hadn’t realized how the leaves had piled up in the tennis courts until he started raking.
Several commented that kids and runners will have a nicer path and sidewalk after the clean-up is done. Several residents served the team and workers lunch at the Cherry Street cafeteria before they resumed work in the afternoon.
At the end of the morning Village Administrator Derek Allen thanked students and residents for their hard work.
“They’re doing an excellent job,” Allen said.
The weeding and raking of the tennis courts, baseball fields and recreation area is the first major project of a group of residents including Ric and Suzi Lyle, Mike and Nancy Bachelder, Tom and Jane Griffith, John and Cathy Oyster, Maggie Clark, Lindy Irons, Mike and Marlene Lancaster, Larry and Melissa Furniss, Mitchell and Timberlee Madeker, and Dan and Cindy Hershner.
Several in the group attended the Mount Gilead August 15 Council meeting to share ideas with council about working on beautification of the village.
Ric Lyle spoke for the group to say they have met with Derek Allen and Mayor Brucker to find out ways they can work with the village.
Lyle said they recognize that village workers have been swamped with clean-up work after the June storm. They also note the village has not had summer workers to help out as they have in the past with tasks of weeding and keeping up the recreation area. They asked if summer help could be put in the budget again.
Resident Mitchell Madeker said he and several others who help and coach ball teams would like to do some work with the baseball and softball fields and dugouts.
“There also needs to be a plan in place to keep areas maintained and looking nice,” Madeker said.
Lyle emphasized that any projects the residents work on will be checked out with Derek Allen.
Brucker and council members thanked the group for their comments, concern and work for the village and encouraged their continued cooperation on beautification projects such as the village square and recreation areas.
