The Marysville City Council Meeting met for a special meeting last night in order to discuss some brief but pressing issues in the community. Before the meeting however, Mayor Nehring made sure to thank the Parks and Recreation Department for their help with the fireworks show Saturday, despite the accident that led to a brush fire cutting the show short. First on the docket was Mayor Nehring’s proclamation dedicating July as Marysville’s Parks and Recreation Month. This dedication honors the hardworking city employees that keep our city a beautiful and fun place to live. We thank all those in the Parks & Recreation Department for making Marysville a great place to live, as our Cultural Reporter said, “We live in cities often for work and housing, but the culture and the people make it so we enjoy being there. Make it so we’re proud of living there. Make it so that we’re willing to call it home.” Following this, a concerned citizen requested that the city put in more drinking receptacles for pets at parks in the city. He remarked that after having recently visited the Strawberry Fields Athletic Complex. The city said that it will consider this, as it could improve our parks. As for new business on the agenda, the first discussed motion was that of the Safe Routes to School Project to Shoultes Elementary. This project will add sidewalks, bike lanes, and several improvements to part of the street leading into the school, bringing it up to ADA compliance. These improvements will protect the children that have to walk these paths every day. The project in totality is quoted to cost a grand total of $1,120,051.00, $200,000 under original estimation. This low bid did cause a stir amongst one of the companies in the bidding process, however the city is going forward with the project, with an expected construction date around July 20th, and a completion date around September 28th. The last official part of the agenda concerned the donation of the American-themed World Cup buoy sculpture to the Strawberry Fields Complex. This sculpture is a lovely work of art, and we thank all those responsible for it. Some ending notes from the meeting include the fact that the moratorium on data centers has been pushed back to most likely next week, in order to create a more ironclad obstruction to these destructive complexes. Finally, on a tragic note, former city Planning Commissioner and City Council candidate Gary Kemp was unfortunately involved in a boating accident along with his wife in Moses Lake. Both were in critical condition and airlifted to major hospitals, however both are thankfully showing signs of recovery. We ask that you keep them and their family in your thoughts and prayers.