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| Mayor Bill Jenks, III |
The week of April 21 through April 27 is
National Volunteer Week, where we as a community recognize all of the many
service projects that have been and will be performed this year by volunteers
from area schools, universities, service clubs, Boy Scouts, Girl Scouts, and
any number of organizations and federal agencies. Naming all of these groups
and the individuals who volunteer, would be a very difficult endeavor, but
thanking and recognizing them for their time and talent is the least we can do.
So it
gives me great pleasure to recognize and thank the energetic group of
individuals who volunteered their time last Saturday, April 20 to participate
in the second phase of the City of Rolla’s Storm Drain Marker program. The City’s
Public Works Department, in conjunction with the Phelps County Venture Crew,
84; Missouri S&T Delta Tau Delta fraternity members; Rolla Boy Scouts and
Girl Scouts, Rolla High School students and Mill Creek Watershed Coalition all attended
training sessions before fanning out throughout the city to place eye-catching red stainless steel markers that contain the symbol
of a fish and the words “No Dumping – Drains to Streams”. The markers and are intended to remind the public of the importance of not depositing pollutants, chemicals or yard waste into storm drain inlets.
(Pictured above: Thirteen Missouri S&T students who are members of Delta Tau Delta volunteered to place over 170 Strom Drain markers on storm drain inlets located at HyPoint Industrial Park and along Hwy. 72 and State Route 63. Pictured with Elizabeth Jackson, President of the Phelps County Venture Crew 84, are (l to r): James Taylor, Vice President; Mathew Vogel, President and Dan Elliott, Vice President.)
The
volunteers affixed 1,500 of the markers throughout the Rolla community,
including HyPoint Industrial Park. A training session to familiarize the
volunteers with nonpoint source pollution was conducted that morning by
Elizabeth Jackson, President of the Phelps County Venture Crew 84.
(Several Rolla High School students volunteered their time and talent during the
Storm Drain Marker project held April 20 throughout the Rolla community where
over 1,500 red stainless steel markers were affixed. Pictured (l to r) are:
Maddie Mara, Georgina Barsoum, Sarah Butz, Iqra Choudhry and Allie Burns.)
According
to Anne McClay, Project Coordinator in the City’s Engineering Division, there
are 4,300 storm drain inlets located among the over 100 miles of streets in the
City of Rolla. Five hundred markers were placed near storm drains during the
first phase of the program, making a total of 2,000 markers installed to date.
I join Anne in thanking the 60-plus volunteers who helped out with the project.
We can’t thank them enough for all their time and effort. A special thanks also
goes out to the members of the Mill Creek Watershed Coalition for generously providing
breakfast for all the volunteers. Many of the members traveled over 100 miles
to be part of this project.
The
Stormwater Inlet Marker program is collaboration among the City of Rolla,
Phelps County Venture Crew 84, Meramec Hills Master Naturalists, and Stream
Team #3713. The Environmental Protection Agency
Region 7, through the Missouri Department of Natural Resources, has provided
$10,000 in funding for this project under Section 319 of the Clean Water Act. For
more information about this program, please contact Anne McClay at 426-6955 or amclay@rollacity.org.
The
City of Rolla would like to remind residents that removal of the markers is
considered theft of city property and is punishable by fines. Those interested
in the purchase of a marker or needing more information about this program, may
contact Anne McClay at 426-6955 or amcalay@rollacity.org.
Have a safe weekend and a great week ahead!
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