By JAN McLAUGHLIN
BG Independent News
Bowling Green City Council took the first step Monday evening to put its weight behind the school levy on the May 6 ballot.
The resolution, requested by City Council member Jeff Dennis, states that one of the most important characteristics of a community is its school system.
“The quality of life, sense of belonging, identification with the community, educational outcomes, and all-around development of children, as well as the economic growth and the appeal of the community, are all significantly impacted and molded by the life and vitality of the schools,” the resolution reads.
“All members of Bowling Green are better off when the Bowling Green public school system is healthy,” the legislation continues.
While the resolution recognizes each citizen’s responsibility to research and vote accordingly, it encourages citizens to support the schools and vote for the operating levy on the May ballot.
City Council will hear two more readings of the resolution before voting on it.
Also at Monday’s meeting, a member of the city’s Bicycle Safety Commission, Jason Sisco, asked council members to dust off their bikes to support the commission’s monthly “slow roll” bike rides in the community.
Sisco said participation in the bike rides has been dwindling. Seeing city leaders pedaling the routes is important for the community, he said. Sisco urged council members to join the rides to remind people Bowling Green is a bikeable city.
Different themed rides are planned monthly by the commission. The first slow roll this year is in celebration of Earth Day. The ride, titled “Pedal for the Planet,” will be held Sunday, April 27, at 1 p.m.
Riders should meet at the Montessori School of Bowling Green parking lot and plan for a leisurely ride on the Slippery Elm Trail.
Rides are free, family-friendly, and open to everyone. Each rider is required to wear a properly-fitted helmet and ride a correctly-sized bicycle in safe, working mechanical order.
While designed for fun and exploration, monthly rides will also stress the importance of safe riding practices and responsibilities of riders while navigating city streets. Multiple trained leaders will facilitate the ride to ensure that all riders complete the route, including providing assistance for mechanical or personal issues that may arise.
In other business, Wood County Park District Director Chris Smalley reported on the Slippery Elm Trail, which stretches 13 miles from Bowling Green to North Baltimore. This is the 30th year for the trail, which is the park district’s most used park facility.
“The trail is showing some wear and tear from that love,” Smalley said.
The Slippery Elm Trail crosses 19 intersections and is dotted with 80 safety and informational signs along its route. The park district is working to replace signage on the trail, and Smalley asked City Council for financial help with the trail signs in Bowling Green.
Also at the meeting, city resident Lindsay Jo Durham asked council to consider changing the name of Gypsy Lane Road.
“Bowling Green: A Sesquicentennial History,” which was researched and compiled by the city’s sesquicentennial commission in 1983, includes a section on how streets were named, Durham said. The research stated that Gypsy Lane Road was “named for the gypsies who frequently camped in a large grove near the old Baltimore and Ohio tracks south of the lane.”
Durham said the term is a slur for the Romani people.
“While I am sure this is an oversight, I believe our community has evolved beyond such language,” she said.
