Jessica Lewis
For The New Era
Braving weather that reached nearly 100 degrees, members of the Youth Advisory Council met at Sankey Park Saturday afternoon to repaint the gazebo as a community service project.
“We were hoping it would be a bigger thing, but we were happy about the turnout,” said Jill Mahler, a member of the council since August of last year. “It shows there are people in town that are concerned with helping out. It’s good because we can make a difference while having fun at the same time.”
The Youth Advisory Council started in 2004, but the Sankey Park cleanup was its first big project.
The Youth Advisory Council is “basically an opportunity for youth in Sweet Home to have a voice in our community,” said City Manager Craig Martin. “They decided they wanted to do a community service project and they chose a park improvement project. To make it fun, they’re going to have a dance after.”
To reward themselves for a job well done, the 20-some young people involved with the cleanup gathered on Weddle Bridge for music, food and a raffle drawing.
Scott McKee, a Sweet Home councilman, said that although he and Martin facilitate the group, the council members do all the work. They organized the park cleanup themselves and contacted local merchants to arrange prize donations for the raffle.
There are 11 positions on the council, nine of which have been filled. All members are appointed by the city council.
“Kids get a chance to say what they think and help out,” said Britney Price, the council’s speaker. “It’s fun to get together and decide what we want to do because a lot of people talk but they don’t act.”
McKee said the council is still looking for two junior high representatives and a few high school positions will be opening up as some of the council members are seniors. Applications are available at City Hall, but Mahler advises attending a meeting first to see how they are run. Meetings are held at City Hall on the third Tuesday of every month at 6:30 p.m.
“This is the first time the group has ever been this connected,” McKee said. “I think this is the beginning of something great.”