MAYOR’S MONTH OF MUSIC IS BACK GRATITUDE FOR BEHIND THE SCENES LEADERS
Every now and again we need to take a step back and thank those in our community that make a difference. Plymouth has numerous people that make this city go and grow. Some are paid for their work and their input. Some are volunteers that give up their own time to make decisions with other board or committee members. All in all, our community is very lucky to have a very strong contingent of both employees and volunteers!
• DENNY BOTTORFF has become one of the faces of the Rees Theatre project. You talk about someone with community spirit, Denny has it all! You will see him sweeping the Honey Locust leaves in front of the Rees and before it went digital, he was one of the guys changing the letters on the old marquee and was big in restoring the Rees Theatre seats. Currently a Culver resident, Denny Graduated from Plymouth HS in 1964. Next time you see him give a pat on the back (and you will probably get a stale joke in return.) He is quite the character!
• Thanks to TOM KEB and his awesome committee for another great year of PLYMOUTH FARMER’S MARKET! I cannot say enough about what this market has done for our downtown on a Saturday morning. Only two or three bad weather days this year and averaged over 25 vendors each week! Many other cities and towns would love that kind of production at their market. Running from May to early October, The Market is the place to be on Saturday mornings.
• BRENT MARTIN has had his hand in The City’s leadership for a long time working with several mayors. Brent always has an idea or three on how to make * this community a better place to live, work and play. For a while he spearheaded the Community Resource Center on Adams Street which was the dream of Dr. Ron Liechty and Dr. Kent Guild and many others as a “one stop shop,” for those in need of social services. Currently, it houses the Center Township Trustee, the St. Joseph Medical Center Clinic, the Marshall County Health Department, the WIC program, Workone, and Marshall County Community Corrections. Brent, for the last several years, has bided his time as a part of Serenity Place Committee as well as the Marshall County Crossroads committee. He is currently working with the READI (Regional Economic Acceleration Development Initiative) proposals for communities in Marshall County. Brent works for SRKM Architecture in Warsaw, but still spends a lot of time in Plymouth. Thank you, Brent, for all you do!
• Speaking of quiet leaders, PHIL BOCKMAN has been a steady organizer on the Board of Aviation Commissioners since May of 2008 and is the current board president. For many years there has been talk of extending our municipal airport’s runway to over 5,000 feet. That would cause Marshall County to close Lilac Road. There is a fairly large subdivision north of this location where Phil and his family live. In putting Phil on the BOAC, I wanted to give the people of the neighborhood a voice in these decisions. He has been nothing but a steady and dependable leader for over 14 years. Thanks to all of you for making our community a great one!
Have a great August and “keep smilin’!” Mayor Mark