Warden development council talks beautification

WARDEN — Thirteen people gathered in Warden to talk about how to make their city more attractive.

Members of the Warden Development Council met at the Corral Restaurant Wednesday at noon to discuss beautification efforts for their town.

Member Sandra Sheldon led the discussion about beautification.

"Our big focus is making Warden presentable for when people come here, because it's a great place to raise kids, but it just doesn't look like it," she said. "We've got good schools, safe streets. Kids and families do well here. But it's a community that's dying, and with all the growth in Grant County, we've got to do something so it's not going to die."

Those in attendance discussed such possible efforts as having organizations or churches adopt and keep up a city plot, perhaps competitively, or focusing on entrances into town this time and going on from there.

Community members or businesses could also adopt a brick planter in town, many of which sit empty, council Secretary John Wallace suggested.

Several in the meeting suggested contacting property owners, including those who live outside of the Warden area, and explaining city ordinances, rules and the council's efforts.

Sheldon said the council wants community members to take pride in their area and their homes, the better to take advantage of the opportunities available.

While the primary focus of the meeting was beautification, those in attendance also discussed several other issues.

Discussions about putting on a July 4 celebration have been postponed to next year, Bob Whitaker said. It was decided it was too late in the season to put something together. Wallace asked if an organization like the Lions Club could be consulted about using a celebration as a fund-raiser.

The group also pondered the possibility of developing its Internet and fiber connections. There was discussion about gathering signatures for a petition to take to the Grant County Public Utilities District.

Wallace noted the council meets the first and third Wednesday of each month and also has committees who meet.

"Hopefully, where we're going from here is action and not only talking about it, but really trying to start doing some things, even if they're small," he said. "All of us see this need to get something going and we're hoping we can start in a small way and build momentum."

Warden City Councilmember Darla Haworth feels the organization's efforts will take time but go well.

"Just one step at a time," she said. "We want to do so much, but I think we should focus on one project at a time, get the community more involved."

Development councilmember Mark Johnson believes physical cleanup of the town needs to be a priority.

"And then all this other stuff will fall into place," he said. "It's more long term, but for right now, I think (the focus should be) cleaning up the town and making it viable, a more attractive place for businesses to come into, like adding on the fiber optic and making that more available, and making the appearance of the town more conducive for people, because when people come into town, they see a whole bunch of trucks and worn-down buildings. We need to make it more attractive."

The next development council meeting is July 18, due to the July 4 holiday.