City looks to honor Pride of Marysville | GUEST OPINION

While community volunteers, merchants and city of Marysville employees pulled together last April to give downtown Marysville a successful once-over spring cleaning to polish its image during Clean Sweep Week, there were plenty of citizens and business owners throughout the community putting hard labor into their own yards, homes and store fronts to usher in spring.

By Marysville Mayor Jon Nehring • June 13, 2012 2:59 pm

While community volunteers, merchants and city of Marysville employees pulled together last April to give downtown Marysville a successful once-over spring cleaning to polish its image during Clean Sweep Week, there were plenty of citizens and business owners throughout the community putting hard labor into their own yards, homes and store fronts to usher in spring.

A drive around Marysville streets and neighborhoods on a sunny day presents abundant examples of spruced-up homes and businesses tended by people who care about their properties, and take pride in their neighborhood and community.

If you are one of those residents or business owners, or you know someone who is, we want to hear from you. The city earlier this year kicked off the new Pride of Marysville neighborhood improvement awards as a way to recognize residents and business people who take pride in cleanliness, appeal and livability where they live or work.

If you haven’t yet nominated a home, business or neighborhood, you still have until the deadline of July 2. Nominating someone couldn’t be easier; it only takes three minutes to complete our brief online form at http://marysvillewa.gov. All that is needed is the nominee’s address, type of property (residential or commercial), selected award category, a short sentence or two on why the property deserves to be honored, and contact information in the event that we need to reach you. We don’t even mind if you nominate yourself — or the other handy person or green thumb under your roof!

If you don’t have access to the web, nomination brochures are also available at city offices. Complete the form in the brochure and return to Marysville City Hall, Attn: Doug Buell, Pride of Marysville Awards, 1049 State Ave., Marysville, WA 98270.

A committee will review the different selections and choose the honorees. Winners will be notified in advance, then publicly honored at the July 16 City Council meeting, where they will be presented with engraved yard markers for placement in landscaping, yards or store frontage as a way to share their accolades with others for a much-appreciated job well done.

There are four award categories to choose from, but choose only one:

  • Best Home/Pride of the Neighborhood — Homes consistently well-kept with well-manicured lawns and colorful landscapes, or enhanced with new paint, landscaping or other significant aesthetic improvements.
  • Best Block/Neighborhood — Based on general/neighborhood entrance/gateway appeal and improvements made.
  • Best Business — Business sites with most curb appeal that have attractive landscaping, well-kept appearance, attractive facade, and are assets to their neighborhoods.
  • Mayor’s Choice — James Comeford Award to Downtown/Waterfront District Most Improved (can be a home or business).

Whether it’s landscaping or remodeling, building renovations or impressive architectural design, or improvements that make a neighborhood stand out, these efforts reflect well on the community, enhance Marysville’s appearance, and could inspire others to do the same.

The way that we improve and maintain our homes, landscaping, businesses, buildings, and gardens communicates an image of Marysville, one that we hope will promote more community and neighborhood pride.

Play it safe with fireworks July 4th; after you light it up, clean it up

With the July 4th holiday fast approaching, remember that if legal “safe and sane” fireworks are a part of your family and friends’ celebrations, Marysville Police and Fire District officials caution you to obey local laws and take safety precautions to prevent injury to yourself and others.

Discharging of legal fireworks is permitted from 9 a.m. to 11 p.m. on Wednesday, July 4 only. Use of illegal fireworks, or any fireworks outside the proscribed day and times, carries stiff fines and penalties. See the city website for more details.

Safety of individuals and property is our utmost concern. Finally, keeping in the spirit of our initiatives such as Clean Sweep Week and the Pride of Marysville Awards to create and maintain a cleaner community and neighborhoods, we ask fireworks users to remember that after you light it up, clean it up.

Mayor Jon Nehring can be reached at mayor@marysvillewa.gov or 360-363-8091.