JACKSON CITY UPDATE

May 6 through 10 will be Jackson's Spring Clean-up Week. During this week the sanitation department will pick up all refuse that is placed at the curb. If you wish to participate in this twice-a-year, free service, have your refuse out at the curb by 8 a.m. on your normal trash day.

Jackson Park Day was once again a success and some morning showers didn't dampen the effort put forth by many Jackson folks who worked to help keep our parks in good shape. We all were very proud to receive the presentation from the Missouri Conservation Department that named Jackson as a "Tree City USA." This award is given to select cities who put forth effort in preserving, maintaining and planting of new trees to beautify their communities.

The City Council recently amended our electric budget billing program to include renters in good standing. Originally this plan just included single family homeowners but will now include all rental units that have a 12-month history of payment with the city. I feel the inclusion of renters corrected an oversight on our part and we are happy to include renters in our program. This budget billing program is great for budget-minded families and citizens on fixed incomes.

We recently applied for a state grant to improve our recycling program. If approved, we will upgrade our current drop-off program and purchase new equipment necessary to upgrade. We also will renovate our building used for recycling to improve public access.

During calendar year 1995, Jackson residents generated 264 tons of recyclable materials at our drop-off station. If the upgrade is approved, we estimate our intake will double in a short period of time. By late May we should know the fate of our application with the state of Missouri. We remain committed to improving our local environment through better recycling programs.

A contest will soon be in full swing that will select a design for a mural on a part of the north wall where the Andrew Jackson clothing store. Herb Wickham is the chairman of a committee that is promoting this mural to beautify uptown Jackson. The SEMO Council of the Arts is also involved in helping with the project. The goal is to have the mural done by Jackson Homecomers this year.

We recently purchased land close to Interstate 55 to put our new budgeted electric substation later this year. This substation, like our new I-55 water tower, is part of the planned orderly growth of our community.

The City Council meets every Monday night at city hall at 7:30 p.m. Your ideas to make Jackson a better place are always welcome.

Paul Sander is the mayor of Jackson.