Well, with springtime approaching us and the winter months hopefully behind us, we can start planning springtime cleanup around our community. We have entered our community into America in Bloom. I have had people ask me if we were going to be in this contest again and I told them that we were entered. Again, I think it does show pride in our community when we can dress it up with flowers and a little of this and that. We again will have the summer help working with the street department to help spruce up our community and get those little things that always builds up, that otherwise we might not have time to get completed.
I hope that most of you have been keeping an eye on the 4-H Fairgrounds. The City and County group had to re-bid the exhibit Hall but fortunately, working together, we do have a builder and it does appear that it should be completed pretty much by the time the 4-H Fair starts. I believe that we will have a very nice community Fairgrounds for our County. Some of the older trees in the park have been removed or may be removed but I hope that we can replant with nice quality trees that will look great as they mature.
It is my understanding from INDOT that the Laughery Creek bridge project on State Road 56 has been scheduled for April 2009 stimulus funding letting. I am told during the construction season of 2009, both lanes of the bridge have been designed to remain open to traffic with occasional lane closures controlled by flaggers. Such closures are due to some utility relocations where the main power for our community crosses the bridge also. This part of project extends into the winter months of 2009 and 2010. At the beginning of the construction season in 2010, the bridge will be restricted to one Lane of traffic controlled by traffic signals. We do hope that this project moves along with little or no problems.
As always I ask everybody to keep our men and women in the armed services in their prayers and ask God to watch over our great community and this great country.

Mayor Bill Marksberry
City of Rising Sun