-News from Oct. 8, 2009 issue

Local News
The Crittenden Press Full Version (PDF)

Project has fifth graders painting town
A new program aimed at instilling community pride and historic appreciation in fifth graders has become the envy of town.
Folks across the community are pledging their support and defining their excitement in words and deeds. Marion Main Street, Inc., Director Susan Alexander and a small group of others hatched the idea, then gathered support from the school system, tourism leaders, downtown merchants, property owners and others.
The aim is to improve the general understanding of Marion’s rich heritage and hopefully to create educated ambassadors of the community. That will be fulfilled late this week by incorporating an historic coloring book, walking tour and historic presentations into Crittenden Elementary’s fifth-grade curriculum.
On Friday, all 99 fifth graders will blanket town along with four volunteer tour guides – Alexander, Brenda Underdown, Sarah Ford and Kathleen Guess. A local artist, Guess did all of the renderings of historic buildings for the coloring book. Underdown put together the text which details the historic significance of each structure whether it be a commercial or residential home.
Students will spend two hours starting at 8:30 a.m., walking town and hearing presentations about the history of buildings along with dates and times important to downtown heritage.
Alexander said there were many reasons for launching the program. One of the most important is a tad bit of selfishness from a tourism standpoint.
“There have been times when visitors have stopped by local restaurants or other places in town looking for directions to places like Fohs Hall, and the young people working there didn’t even know where it was,” Alexander said. “We know that happens.”
Programming young people to be local envoys or town boosters will have lasting effects for tourism, and they hope it will increase students’ knowledge and appreciation for the city’s heritage.
For now, it’s aimed only at fifth graders, but there is some consideration for expanding the project in the schools and further into the community.
“I would be interested in that, too,” said Vince Clark, a director of instruction for the local school system. “Not being from here originally, I think it would be fun to do.”
Others say that adults would benefit greatly from taking the tours.
Darrick Myers, a 35-year-old loan officer, has an office on Carlisle Street, perhaps the most historic thoroughfare in town. He grew up in Crittenden County and admits that his appreciation of the town’s heritage was slow coming.
“I am ashamed to say that I had very little knowledge of it until I started spending time with older people who have been around,” Myers said. “I have made a point to educate my self about the historic places in town.”
He did it by spending time with folks like his downtown neighbors Rip Wheeler and Tink Hicklin. Both live and work near his office and are well past 80 years old. Each has a wealth of information, Myers explained. A walking tour is a great idea, he added.
“If they offer it to others, I would participate,” Myers said.
Alexander, who doubles as the Crittenden County Chamber of Commerce director, too, said that if small civic or church groups or clubs would like to sign up for a tour, they can call the Chamber office at 965-5015.
Sarah Riley, one of the fifth-grade teachers who will be presenting the program to students, is looking forward to Friday’s walking tour.
“I am excited. We have always wanted to do something like this, but never had the time to put it together. Now, it’s basically been handed to us and it’s so well organized. I think it will be very meaningful to the kids.”
Following the tour, students will spend more classroom time discussing what they have learned and there will be an essay contest. Students will be encouraged to take notes during the tour and perhaps even revisit the places they saw in town to learn more about them. They will write a feature article detailing the more interesting facts from their favorite stops along the walking tour. Winners of the writing contest will earn cash prizes donated by the Marion Tourism Commission.
“The theme of their writings will be ‘Experience History Through the Eyes of a Fifth Grader,’” Riley said. “Their audience will be Marion citizens. They will be explaining why we should know more about these places in our town.”
School Superintendent Dr. Rachel Yabrough said she was very excited about the program when city leaders approached her about the school’s involvement.
“It’s another great way for us to connect with the community,” she said. “We hope to feature the winners of the essay contest by having their writings published in The Press.”
In addition to allowing fifth graders to participate in the tour, the school system has also put its Student Technology Leadership Program (STLP) on the project. They helped create the entire walking tour package and made copies of the 16-page coloring books.
The walking tour itself will take about 45 minutes, but students will spend at least two hours outside the classroom Friday morning. Following their walk through downtown, they will visit the Crittenden County Historical Museum on East Bellville Street then finish with a trip to Fohs Hall, an historic community center. In the auditorium of the former school building, local author Ethel Tucker will present a brief history lesson based on her memories of Marion of yesteryear.
Crittenden Health Systems is sponsoring goodie bags for the students, which will include crayons, pens and other items.
The entire program is a novel idea that perhaps no other community in Kentucky has done. The idea was hatched after Alexander saw a coloring book from another city. From there, the project grew into what will transpire later this week.
“As far as we know, no other community has incorporated this into the curriculum at school,” Alexander said.
Dr. Yarbrough concurred, citing this as a very innovative program that will benefit the community and students.

Post office wants city boxes on street
Mailboxes have for decades been a fixture along rural county roads. Now, those wayside soldiers are heading to town.
The United States Postal Service is starting to ask city residents to install mailboxes at curbsides and streetsides.
Marion Postmaster Barry Chandler says that about 300 addresses have been targeted for the changeover in Marion. Those postal customers have until Nov. 14 to comply with the request.
Chandler says the policy could affect other cities in Kentucky as well.
Eventually, Chandler said, about 80 percent of Marion’s city addresses will need to have streetside mailboxes.
It’s all about efficiency, he explained. Now, carriers walk mail routes in town. By having curbside boxes, carriers will be able drive their routes in one-third less time than it takes to do them on foot.
“If it takes an hour and a half to do a section on foot, we can deliver the mail to that same area in about 45 minutes by vehicle,” Chandler said.
The letters that went out last week to local residents drew plenty of calls, Chandler said. Some were complaints and legitimate concerns and others were from customers who wanted to make sure they knew exactly where to install their new mailbox.
There will be some exceptions to the mailbox requirement, but those will be rare, said the postmaster. Hardship cases will be considered on a case by case basis. In instances where age or disability might create serious problems for residents, Chandler said some variation or hardship waiver might be granted. Those will generally require some type of endorsement by a medical professional and verification by the postmaster.
David Walton, a public relations spokesperson for the United States Postal Service in Kentucky, said that while the post office is asking residents to move their boxes to the street, this is simply a request and not a mandate.
“We are politely asking and most of the time people oblige,” he said. “But we can’t make people move their boxes. We can only ask.”
Walton said the movement of mailboxes is one cost-control method recognized by postal service leadership. Customers, he said, naturally have questions and concerns. He encourages them to call the local postmaster.
Utility companies say installation of mailboxes in the city will create some issues for them.
Bobby Brown, area operations supervisor for Atmos gas, said it is critically important that residents call 811 three days before they plan to dig.
“You never know where there might be a gas, electric, cable or water line,” Brown said. “If you do any digging at all, even if you’re just planting a tree, you should call 811 first and our crews will come out and mark our lines.”
City Administrator Mark Bryant said customers should also call 965-2266 and notify the city before digging in the right-of-way. Sewer and water lines will need to be marked.
“I am extremely troubled by the lack of communication regarding this requirement,” Bryant said. “There has been no communication between the postal service and the city about doing this.”
Bryant said it will stress city crews to mark 300 lines over the next month so that mailboxes can be installed. He also reminds residents that the city street sweeper maneuvers particularly close to curbs so boxes should not extend over the curb or into the street.
The postal service is asking that boxes be placed close enough to the street that the carrier can service it from a vehicle. The box should be approximately 42 to 45 inches above the surface where the delivery vehicle tire will be sitting when the carrier is servicing the box.
“The box should not be blocked by other vehicles or other items,” Chandler said in his letter to customers.
Otherwise, there are a wide variety of sizes and types of boxes available commercially.
Chandler said there are some streets that will not be conducive to boxes. He pointed out customers located in those areas, including Main Street, the 200 and 300 blocks of East Depot Street and around the courthouse, for example, will not be affected. Otherwise, almost all commercial and residential customers will be asked to install a mailbox at some point in the near future.
If you have any questions or concerns about the request, call the Marion Post Office at 965-3811.
Mailboxes have for decades been a fixture along rural county roads. Now, those wayside soldiers are heading to town.
The United States Postal Service is starting to ask city residents to install mailboxes at curbsides and streetsides.
Marion Postmaster Barry Chandler says that about 300 addresses have been targeted for the changeover in Marion. Those postal customers have until Nov. 14 to comply with the request.
Chandler says the policy could affect other cities in Kentucky as well.
Eventually, Chandler said, about 80 percent of Marion’s city addresses will need to have streetside mailboxes.
It’s all about efficiency, he explained. Now, carriers walk mail routes in town. By having curbside boxes, carriers will be able drive their routes in one-third less time than it takes to do them on foot.
“If it takes an hour and a half to do a section on foot, we can deliver the mail to that same area in about 45 minutes by vehicle,” Chandler said.
The letters that went out last week to local residents drew plenty of calls, Chandler said. Some were complaints and legitimate concerns and others were from customers who wanted to make sure they knew exactly where to install their new mailbox.
There will be some exceptions to the mailbox requirement, but those will be rare, said the postmaster. Hardship cases will be considered on a case by case basis. In instances where age or disability might create serious problems for residents, Chandler said some variation or hardship waiver might be granted. Those will generally require some type of endorsement by a medical professional and verification by the postmaster.
David Walton, a public relations spokesperson for the United States Postal Service in Kentucky, said that while the post office is asking residents to move their boxes to the street, this is simply a request and not a mandate.
“We are politely asking and most of the time people oblige,” he said. “But we can’t make people move their boxes. We can only ask.”
Walton said the movement of mailboxes is one cost-control method recognized by postal service leadership. Customers, he said, naturally have questions and concerns. He encourages them to call the local postmaster.
Utility companies say installation of mailboxes in the city will create some issues for them.
Bobby Brown, area operations supervisor for Atmos gas, said it is critically important that residents call 811 three days before they plan to dig.
“You never know where there might be a gas, electric, cable or water line,” Brown said. “If you do any digging at all, even if you’re just planting a tree, you should call 811 first and our crews will come out and mark our lines.”
City Administrator Mark Bryant said customers should also call 965-2266 and notify the city before digging in the right-of-way. Sewer and water lines will need to be marked.
“I am extremely troubled by the lack of communication regarding this requirement,” Bryant said. “There has been no communication between the postal service and the city about doing this.”
Bryant said it will stress city crews to mark 300 lines over the next month so that mailboxes can be installed. He also reminds residents that the city street sweeper maneuvers particularly close to curbs so boxes should not extend over the curb or into the street.
The postal service is asking that boxes be placed close enough to the street that the carrier can service it from a vehicle. The box should be approximately 42 to 45 inches above the surface where the delivery vehicle tire will be sitting when the carrier is servicing the box.
“The box should not be blocked by other vehicles or other items,” Chandler said in his letter to customers.
Otherwise, there are a wide variety of sizes and types of boxes available commercially.
Chandler said there are some streets that will not be conducive to boxes. He pointed out customers located in those areas, including Main Street, the 200 and 300 blocks of East Depot Street and around the courthouse, for example, will not be affected. Otherwise, almost all commercial and residential customers will be asked to install a mailbox at some point in the near future.
If you have any questions or concerns about the request, call the Marion Post Office at 965-3811.

Heritage Days looking for new chairman
Organizers of the annual Heritage Days event last weekend and the U.S. 60 Yard Sale in Crittenden County say they were a large success.
Crittenden County Chamber of Commerce, Marion Main Street, Inc., and the City of Marion Tourism Commission each had a hand in coordinating last weekend’s events.
Chamber President Ron Padget, who is also Heritage Days chairman, said the event drew large crowds. There were about 45 vendors at Heritage Days, he said, and more than 50 vintage automobiles participated in the car show, which was a first-time event. The mechanical bull on the court square was very popular, Padget said.
At least two vendors have already booked space for next year. However, Padget says this was his last Heritage Days. He has chaired the event for three years and has been active in organizing it for about five years.
“I’m giving it up,” he said. “It’s time to let someone else do it.”
The U.S. 60 Yard Sale, a 200-mile event that included Crittenden and Livingston counties, was a big hit, said Chamber Director Susan Alexander. All yard sale vendor survey cards have not been returned, but some that have been received show receipts were $700 to $1,000 at some sales.