Rolla community embraces Operation Neighborhood Clean-up

There is perhaps no greater reward serving as Mayor of Rolla than seeing our community come together for a common purpose through a project such as Operation Neighborhood Clean-up, which was held last Friday in the historic Frisco Sub Division.

This all-volunteer effort, which included a wide representation of the community’s abundant resources, including churches, City departments, utilities, and both private and public entities, illustrates just how much we can accomplish when residents and community members come together for a common purpose.

What began two years ago as the brainchild of Sgt. Jeremy Martens in the Rolla Police Department has evolved into a broad community project now supported and embraced in large part by the Rolla Area Ministerial Alliance, the Rolla Police Department (including V.I.P.S.), the City’s Public Works, Environmental Services, Parks, Community Development and City of Rolla Fire and Rescue, and numerous generous donations made by businesses and merchants in the Rolla area.

I would like to express my appreciation and gratitude to the following for helping make the second Operation Neighborhood Clean Up another success story in the Rolla community we can all be proud of: the main organizers of the event, Sgt. Jeremy Martens, and RPD; Chris Foster, Associate Pastor at First Christian Church at Greentree; Matt Forrest, Senior Pastor of Vineyard Church; Scott Robinson, Missions and Outreach Minister with FCC at Greentree; and other members of the Rolla Area Ministerial Alliance, including the Christian Life Center, GRACE Fellowship and Salem Avenue Baptist Church; Wal-Mart Supercenter of Rolla; Country Mart of Rolla, Panera Bread, Donut King, Kroger, Coke, Pepsi, Hillcrest Pharmacy, Family Center of Rolla, Josh Shepherd (Superior Crane Rental); My Father’s World (home school curriculum); Rolla Municipal Utilities, Fidelity Communications, Century Tel, Cornerstone Energy Solutions, Troup I, Missouri Highway Patrol, students from the Missouri University of Science and Technology and of course all the City departments already mentioned above. We could not have accomplished all we did without all of your help, hard work, and assistance.

The clean-up, which encompassed a 30-block area from 10th Street to 18th Street and Bardsley Road to Farrar Drive/Holloway Street, came on the heels of the Tour of Missouri, another huge community effort that illustrated the level of cooperation and community-mindedness that exits in the Rolla community.
I understand that plans for the third Operation Neighborhood Clean-up are already in the works, and will encompass the area from 10th Street to Hyw. 72; and Rolla Street to Walnut Street, which should dovetail nicely with the substation enhancements being made in the newly forms Arts and Entertainment District and the revitalization of downtown area.

In closing, I would like to remind everyone to please attend the Public Hearing for the proposed Rolla Enhanced Enterprise Zone that will be held this Tuesday, Oct. 13 at 6:30 p.m. in the Council Chambers at Rolla City Hall (901 N. Elm Street).