Hello Friends!

 

May is over and we are jumping into June! Our Community has had a busy couple of weeks! It feels so good to have so much going on that is good in our Town!!  Summer is kicking off and I hope you have a safe and successful Summer! I know our Park District will be busy with baseball and softball games and our wonderful Community Pool will be up and splashing in fun! Please be a good patron of both of these wonderful zones of Bushnell’s Summer!

 

Our Graduates have had their pomp and circumstance and are moving right into their next chapter in their books of life! I would like to extend the Congratulations of the City of Bushnell to them all and to ask them to remember us as they move forward.  I know that they can’t wait to get out and spread their wings and move forward to bigger and better experiences. I ask them, however, to not forget their Hometown. We want you to come back and share those experiences with us! We want you to come back to your Hometown and help us make Bushnell stronger! Your ideas and your talents are what Bushnell is in desperate need of. Please don’t forget us! Remember that there is no place like home, and we can’t wait to have you back!

 

Vaughan and Bushnell has announced the acquisition of Dasco Pro out of Rockford, Illinois! WOW is the word for this fabulous new journey for Vaughan and Bushnell! Bushnell is so excited that Vaughan has acquired this new manufacturing line, Dasco Pro. With this new line brings the prospect of not only new jobs to our community, but also new residents in Bushnell. The city looks forward to working with Vaughan and Bushnell in making this transition to our community. We know that a lot of hard work has gone into this project, and we appreciate it tremendously. Congratulations Vaughan and Bushnell.

 

Jeep Blitz is over for this year as you read this. I know that it was a great experience and a total success! I hope that you were able to attend some of the incredible activities that they had planned!  I’m sure that they are busy planning for next year’s event and I know that I can’t wait to hear what they have in store for Jeep Blitz 4!

 

Your City Council has been busy! At our last meeting we approved the running route for the Backpack 5K that will take place during the Fall Festival on Saturday, August 25. And while I am mentioning the Fall Festival – I hope that you are making plans to enter your wonderful creations at the Arts and Crafts competition during the Festival! It is always such a joy to look at the terrific creations that our Community Members display! There will be more information about how you can enter in the upcoming issues of the Democrat.

 

The Council also approved the budget for 2018-2019. We are going to meet within the next month to review memberships that the City is a part of as well as watching our Capitol purchases. Monitoring the budget is as important of a task as approving it, and our Council is making every step in the positive direction to make sure we are spending it wisely.

 

BAMA (Bushnell Area Ministerial Association) is partnering with Genesis Garden to bring summer meals to our school aged children at the Community Christian Center. This will begin June 11 through August 10 from 11:45 to 12:30pm. This is a free service for children and teens under the age of 18. Please make sure that those in need of this service are aware of it! What an awesome program for our Community!

 

4^th of July will be here in a blink of the eye!! Our Community is so blessed with one of the most premier showings of fireworks in the area! We will have our display on July 3^rd with a rain date of July 5^th. The boom boom will start at dusk! I hope to see you all out there oohing and ahhhing at this magnificent display highlighting our Freedom!

 

With the onset of summer, we have to be mindful of our Community members during the hot days. Please remember to check on the elderly as well as our four-legged friends! It is our responsibility to make sure they are taken care of as often times, they neglect themselves or don’t have the ability to take care of themselves.

Until next time!

Robin

Hello Friends-

Can you believe that May is halfway gone?? I fear that we will zip right through Summer and then Fall will be on our doorsteps again! (which is okay with me, Fall is my favorite season!!}

 

Your City Council has been busy with our City Budget, new Ordinances, and planning for our future within the City. While the Council struggles with many decisions, we also look to our Citizens for input as well as help in achieving the many goals we set for ourselves. Money is always a tight concern – as we are spending the money of our taxpayers and trying our best to manage it well. We are always interested in your ideas and concerns and I invite you to contact your Alderman or myself with what is on your mind. While social media is a wonderful invention, I prefer not to talk about City business on it. I encourage you to contact me at City Hall or send me an email. My email address is: rwilt311@gmail.com

The phone number at City Hall is 772-2521. While I do not currently have office hours, the Ladies at City Hall would be happy to take a message and I do promise to call you back.

 

We recently approved a contract to have our phone system within the City upgraded. This is a much needed improvement to help with our communication. I am so excited to get this upgrade as I will be able to have an actual phone line at my desk in the Council Chambers! We hope to have this upgrade done within the next couple of months. Phone systems at all the City properties are being upgraded, the Municipal Utilities Office, Recreation and Cultural Center, Police Department as well as the City Workers Shed and the Power Plant. Many thanks to Justin Griffith for all his hard work in getting this organized!

 

I had the honor to attend the DARE Graduation last week and shake the hands of each Graduate as they walked across the stage. Three young inspiring people read their winning essays – AMAZING!! Officer Hood spoke about the program and all that they do – what a task!! One thing Officer Hood didn’t mention was that the High School students who mentored the class, were in the very first class that Officer Hood instructed for DARE. What a great group of students and teachers we have in B-PC!! Our DARE program can always use money to keep this program going. If you can, please help by contributing to our DARE program. Any donations can be sent to City Hall with the notation of DARE program. Thanks in advance for any help you can give!

 

I attended an MDH Roundtable discussion in April that was moderated by Kenny Boyd, President and CEO of MDH. It was an enlightening overview of MDH and how it affects our Community. The next day it was announced that Mr. Boyd was leaving MDH for a position in another state. They will have a national search for a replacement.

 

Our May Play Days are coming up – and will be over by the time this is published. I’m sure that everyone attended and got their fix on a corn dog and the amazing rides provided by Boden Amusements! I will be speaking on Rotary Radio Days being held this year during May Play Days at the Depot – I hope I did okay!!

 

We have so many wonderful events coming up. We have Graduation – what a new adventure awaits these students who are our future!! Congratulations to them all!! Jeep Blitz at the end of the month – I hope you all get the opportunity to participate in some of the activities they have planned – even if you don’t have a Jeep! The Park and Shine will be uptown on the Square – I hear they are expecting a bigger crowd than ever before! There will also be a Jeep Parade on Saturday . They will be downtown around 5:45 going down West Main Street to Hail and Hail to East Main Street. They are expecting around 500 jeeps during the festivities with 50-100 participating in the Parade. Please take the time to check out Jeep Blitz!!

 

And finally, Mother’s Day will have passed by the time this is printed. However, I would like to take the opportunity to wish all Mother’s a Happy Mother’s Day! You all deserve the best!!

 

Blessings,

Robin