June State League Conferences Recognize Projects, Individuals and Cities for Their Successes
by Lara Malakoff
State leagues in Maryland, Georgia and Washington gave out honors last month for successful projects, individuals and cities.
Maryland Municipal League
The Maryland Municipal League’s Award for Excellence recognizes outstanding projects in local government. Two winning cities were recognized this year for outstanding projects: • Chestertown, Md., Goes Green: The Town of Chestertown and the Center for Environment & Society at Washington College formed a partnership to address global warming and rising sea levels on Maryland’s Eastern Shore. The program promotes town council and citizen involvement, yet costs the town nothing, because it relies fully on private foundation grants.
So far, the efforts to “go green” have encouraged greater participation in recycling and have reduced the amount of toxins released into the Chester River.
• Westminster, Md., Skate Park: In 2007, the City of Westminster was awarded a grant in the amount of $130,000 to upgrade its popular skate park. Local skateboarders and parents of skateboarders actively participated by gathering information from citizens and the Internet about features that would make the project a success.
When project costs began to exceed the budget, the citizens formed a partnership with the Carroll County Career and Technical Center, whose students built much of the new park at a much lower cost.
For more information about these programs, contact Karen Bohlen, Maryland Municipal League, KarenB@mdmunicipal.org.
Georgia Municipal Association
Three mayors were inducted into the Georgia Municipal Government Hall of Fame on June 24 as part of the Georgia Municipal Association’s conference in Savannah, Ga. Congratulations to:
• Mayor Margaret Evans of Sylvania, Ga., for initiating a major streetscape project, replacing deteriorating infrastructure, constructing an outdoor theater, remodeling a community center, and establishing an art gallery;
• Mayor Rick Roberts of Ball Ground, Ga., for maximizing local dollars with grant funds to establish a sanitary sewer system, and for making the city more pedestrian-friendly; and
• Mayor Jackie Wilson of Douglas, Ga., for improving housing in low- and moderate-income areas, obtaining grants to expand the runway for the local airport, and attracting new businesses to the community.
Association of Washington Cities
Each year, the Association of Washington Cities recognizes cities for their achievements. This year, 41 cities were recognized with awards:
• Municipal Excellence Award: Cities of Bellingham, Granger, Granite Falls, Hoquiam, Newcastle, Olympia and Richland
• WellCity Award: Cities of Arlington, Bothell, Bremerton, Colville, Fife, Issaquah, Lacey, Lake Stevens, Lakewood, Longview, Lynnwood, Marysville, Mill Creek, Oak Harbor, Pullman, Tacoma, Toppenish, Tukwila and Wenatchee
• WellCity Award of Achievement: Cities of Burien, Cheney and Federal Way
• WellCity Award of Commitment: Cities of Bonney Lake, Vancouver and Woodland
• WellCity Award of Excellence: Cities of Anacortes, Battle Ground, Enumclaw, Kirkland, Olympia, SeaTac, Washougal and Yakima and Town of Concrete
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