Mickey Starling
reporter3@greenepublishing.com
At the Thursday, Aug. 26 meeting of the Madison Kiwanis Club, the organization presented a $2,500 check to continue their support of the Madison County Excellence in Education Foundation. Several guests were on hand to receive the check, including Take Stock in Children Student Services Coordinator Gina Rutherford and Student Services Coach Martha Register and Tim Sanders, president of the Madison County Foundation for Excellence in Education. Three Kiwanians serve on the foundation's board: Julius Hackett, Lucile Day and Darren Webb.
Sanders expressed his appreciation for the long-term support given by the Kiwanis Club since1994. The club has donated $59,900 over the past 27 years.”Also, the Kiwanis Club has provided more mentors for children than any other civic group,” said Sanders. “That is more important than the money.”
Next up for the meeting was a presentation by City Manager Jerome Wyche, who gave an insightful discussion about strong leadership and surrounding yourself with good people. He stressed the importance of keeping a positive atmosphere and showing appreciation for the hard work of others. “City Hall is about what we can do as a team. It's not about me,” said Wyche. “Our city has had perfect audits for the past three years. I credit this efficiency to our outstanding city clerk, Lee Anne Hall.”
Wyche then updated the group on recent developments in the city, which included the arrival of several new businesses in the coming months. He was also pleased to announce that 22 to 23 million dollars have been awarded the city for future upgrades. City Hall will either get some much needed repairs or will be rebuilt, to be determined by an architectural firm's assessment in the coming days. The Public Works Building, locally referred to as the “city barn” will also be replaced with a new building. “This building was constructed in the 1800s, and you can literally pull bricks out of the wall with your hand,” said Wyche. “We must have a safe place for our people to work.” Wyche was also pleased to report that the City of Madison continues to grow, allowing residents to enjoy their third year without a tax increase.