point of view

Each year, students around the world discover history through National History Day (NHD). This is where students grades 6-12 make history, presenting all kinds of stories, subjects & sources. Some young scholars embody their subjects, other create short documentaries, others design websites, all ways to prove that presenting the past can be more than a research paper. That's the big lesson this non-profit, NHD celebrates at its annual contest now in its 50th year. How is this different than a spelling bee or science fair - you are going to use history, history helps you think critically. Over 500K students start at local & state contests before making it to the national contest. Learning about the past should never become a thing of the past. Love to see the subjects that will come from the 2025 contest theme, Rights & Responsibilities in history. "A generation which ignores history has no past - & no future." quote by Robert A. Heinlein, Author.

Monday, 6pm - City Council Meeting

Wednesday - Farmer's Markets

Thursday, 4th of July Holiday - City Offices are Closed; Fireworks Display

City Council will consider -

• Planning & Zoning Commission recommendations to issue Special Use Permit @ 406 E. Broadway for a short-term rental;
• Mayor's recommendations to appoint Cindy Spellman to Board of Zoning Adjustment; Brandon Block to Parks & Recreation Board; & Christy Marker to Planning & Zoning Commission;
• Parks & Recreation recommendations to adopt park naming policy;
• proposal from American Boiler to replace Hall of Waters Boiler [Funding: CIP $154,305]; &
• MOU with ESSD for School Resource Officers [General Fund Revenue - not to exceed $175,000]

Farmer's Market (morning @ Community Center 9-11:30am & afternoon @ Hitch Lot 4-7pm)

The Fireworks Display is sponsored by the Elms Hotel.

Celebrating work anniversaries this week - Sarah Davis, Fire Administrative Assistant - 10 years; Jeffrey Anderson, Parks Maintenance - 7 years; Jennifer Van Campen, Group Fitness Instructor - 4 years; James Kilgore, Water Maintenance - 3 years; Andrew Warner, Police Investigations - 2 years; Trevor Chaffee, Police Officer - 1 years.

Highlighting community leaders serving on Economic Development Boards - Ambrose Buckman, Mike Edwards, Bill Griffey, Kelli Kincaid, Susan McAuliffe, Brent McElwee, Kent Powell, & Gary Sanson. The Enhanced Enterprise Zone Board, Tax Increment Financing & Urban Redevelopment Corporation meet as needed & generally do not meet very often. The role of each board is to review & assess activities considered for EEZ, TIF or Chapter 353 assistance. Thank you for your willingness to serve in this important capacity.

The ESFD Way: We are here to serve the citizens, who put their trust in us simply based on our chosen profession. Don't fail them.

• Public Works is starting street maintenance this summer by crack sealing with the intent to prolong the useful life of surface materials. Our investment in our streets needs to be protected to avoid costly replacement expenses.
• Parks & Rec is making big plans for July, it is Parks & Recreation month, & the department is working hard to encourage people to visit our parks & enjoy programs we have available.
• The Senior Center is enjoying good attendance for lunch, 95 were signed up to attend on Friday, which was also a birthday celebration.
• The number of kiddos who are taking swim lessons during June reminds me of the real value of a public swimming pool. During June we had 39 kids taking private lessons & 51 kids in group lessons. Our instructors have also learned how to teach autistic children how to swim. As we have learned, autistic children are attracted to water. It is so easy to take for granted that everyone knows how to swim, until I see these numbers. The pool has provided our community so many advantages.
• Other Trails & Ray's Lunch both will recieve a $10,000 grant from American Express to make improvements to the front of their businesses. These two businesses join two other property owners who recently also received grants to make improvements to their business.

When I travel, I inevitably bump into someone who tells me a story from when they visited ES. There is no shortage of ES stories & tradition. ES continues to build new places to attract future generations who plan to gather together, ideally suited to enjoy time together. When you visit our community, we only ask that you share your stories with us. If your stories create a memory, or better yet, a tradition, then we have achieved our goal.