Grand celebration

    Who enjoys a good old fashioned celebration? Well, if you do, the City is going to celebrate its 150th Birthday in 2009 and we’re looking for what the City should be doing for its Sesquicentennial Celebration.     As you are aware, the main goal of the City is to provide municipal services. We’d like to think that we do a pretty good job in providing a wide range of quality services. The recent Citizen Satisfaction Survey conducted by Allen Salo and his classes at the University of Maine at Presque Isle seemed to confirm this. In providing these services it doesn’t leave much extra time to much of anything else. However, a 150th Birthday celebration is so unique we’re wondering just what it is that people expect of the City’s involvement in this event.
    Thus far, Kimberly Smith, under the umbrella of the Presque Isle Historical Society, has taken a leadership role in getting people and organizations interested in planning a celebration worthy of the City’s long and rich history. I believe that she envisions events in each of the months throughout 2009 with a major celebration during the summertime. She gathered the attention of the City Council in 2007 so they placed $2,500 in the 2008 municipal budget to assist in publicity brochure materials for the 2009 event. I expect that there will be additional monies in the 2009 budget for specific events.
    This leads me to my main question. Just what is expected of the City in this event? It would be helpful to know as we look to allocate recourses, personnel and money. We’re willing to do our share but we need to hear from citizens of what they are willing to do and what they expect the City to do.
    Your suggestions are being solicited. If you would like to share your thoughts feel free to call me at 764-4485 or e-mail me at tstevens@presqueisleme.us. This can be as large an event as people are willing to make it.
    Thomas Stevens is Presque Isle’s city manager.