Latest / WIXN AM 1460 - Shaw Local Radio / Talk Line with Sterling Mayor Diana Merdian

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Talk Line with Sterling Mayor Diana Merdian · WIXN AM 1460 - Shaw Local Radio

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  Speaker 1: Good morning, Sock Valley. You've joined the Waking crew here
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  Speaker 1: on FM ninety five one and am fourteen sixty wix N.
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  Speaker 1: It is eight seventeen on your Tuesday, December ninth morning,
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  Speaker 1: and it is time for talk line and I am
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  Speaker 1: joined by my good friend the Mayor of Sterling, Diana
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  Speaker 1: Merde and Diana, how are you good? How are you
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  Speaker 1: very well today? Very well? You guys have got a
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  Speaker 1: lot going on over on that side of the Sock
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  Speaker 1: Valley as usual, Yes.
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  Speaker 2: Just a little bit. We are. We are still doing construction,
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  Speaker 2: even though it is there's a lot of snow on
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  Speaker 2: the ground. We are still trying to wrap up as
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  Speaker 2: much of East Second Street as we can, even though
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  Speaker 2: there is quite a few inches over there. They are
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  Speaker 2: still coring out the man holes right now. They were
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  Speaker 2: as of yesterday. So they are trying to get those
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  Speaker 2: the man holes cord out and also the water elves,
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  Speaker 2: and then trying to get the stop signs put in
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  Speaker 2: because of somebody who lives down on a dead end.
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  Speaker 2: Nobody's been stopping for quite some time now, and so
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  Speaker 2: so those people that live down there are going to
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  Speaker 2: have to remember to stop. And so the the first
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  Speaker 2: hope was to try and get the the whole road
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  Speaker 2: open by December nineteenth, but then we got enoughhle ats, know,
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  Speaker 2: and so that kind of stalled some things out. So
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  Speaker 2: we are trying very very hard to get at least
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  Speaker 2: from First Avenue to Fourth Avenue open by Christmas. So
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  Speaker 2: hopefully the weather plays nice with us and we're able
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  Speaker 2: to do that. Uh the uh, I know a lot
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  Speaker 2: of was it The pylons got delivered for the bridge,
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  Speaker 2: the pedestrian bridge yesterday, so we are we are moving
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  Speaker 2: full speed with this project. When we go to install
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  Speaker 2: the bridge, which we'll be in twenty twenty six in
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  Speaker 2: the spring, that'll be at during the either evening hours
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  Speaker 2: or wee morning hours, and because they will have to
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  Speaker 2: close down route you know, Route forty or First Avenue,
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  Speaker 2: depending on which way you call it, and they'll have
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  Speaker 2: to stop traffic so that they can the largest crane
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  Speaker 2: that they got and install it, because it'll be a
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  Speaker 2: pedestrian bridge over five five lanes that they'll have to
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  Speaker 2: install there. And oh, I told them, I don't care
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  Speaker 2: what time of night or day or morning it is.
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  Speaker 2: I'm gonna get my popcorn from the movie theater and
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  Speaker 2: I'm going to go watch it, so I want to
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  Speaker 2: be there for Crane Day. So we are we are
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  Speaker 2: trying to do everything that we can to get it open,
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  Speaker 2: you know, to get as much of the Second Street
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  Speaker 2: open in twenty twenty five, so you know, try and
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  Speaker 2: give some a little bit of a Christmas present to
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  Speaker 2: two people, you know, if we can get, you know, anything,
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  Speaker 2: We're going to try and do what we can. So
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  Speaker 2: just because there snow on the ground doesn't mean that
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  Speaker 2: construction steps.
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  Speaker 1: So it's it's it's been a big project, and I
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  Speaker 1: mean roadwork always has some delays. You know. This project
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  Speaker 1: itself based some some stuff that was way out of
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  Speaker 1: your guys's control with I think it was commed and
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  Speaker 1: some utilities, yea, well.
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  Speaker 2: And it like so this project, I mean it is
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  Speaker 2: it's ten blocks, you know, and there's so much that
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  Speaker 2: goes into it, and there's so many utilities, and then
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  Speaker 2: there's utilities that no longer exist that are also there
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  Speaker 2: that we have to you know, deal with. And then
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  Speaker 2: there's the federal government that we had or the grant
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  Speaker 2: through and so just navigating those requirements, then the state requirements,
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  Speaker 2: and then that was all happened prior to my election
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  Speaker 2: because we got the grant in twenty twenty one, and
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  Speaker 2: then dealing with Comcast commed Nightcore, Illinois American Water AT
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  Speaker 2: and T. There's two lines for AT and T. One
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  Speaker 2: line on the north side of the road, one line
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  Speaker 2: on the south side of the road. Apparently the south
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  Speaker 2: line was supposed to be dead. Nobody was supposed to
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  Speaker 2: be on that line. However, one of my neighbors, he
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  Speaker 2: was the only one that was on that line, and
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  Speaker 2: he was the only one that had internet on that
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  Speaker 2: line or any service on that line. And when they
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  Speaker 2: cut that line, he did not have internet for a while,
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  Speaker 2: you know. And then we had surf broadband down there.
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  Speaker 2: There was a few weeks, you know. I think there
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  Speaker 2: was two times where we didn't have garbage picked up
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  Speaker 2: for a few weeks. So it's a lot of fun
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  Speaker 2: that has happened, you know. And then the weather between
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  Speaker 2: rain and then all the gravel and then the snow.
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  Speaker 2: I don't know when we started those projects, because it
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  Speaker 2: feels like it has been long, like nine years, and
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  Speaker 2: I haven't even been on for nine years. So but
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  Speaker 2: it like it does look really, really nice, and when
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  Speaker 2: it is finished, it'll be really nice. The walking path
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  Speaker 2: or multipurpose path is really beautiful, and that will really
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  Speaker 2: connect the you know, the walking bridge over the dam
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  Speaker 2: all the way to Sinsissippi that we'll like we're already
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  Speaker 2: out to Walmart now and then at some point where
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  Speaker 2: you know, working to get out to Soft Valley Community College,
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  Speaker 2: and I know Dixon's trying to get out that way too,
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  Speaker 2: and then we'll have it to where go out to
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  Speaker 2: the Riverfront Park. So really trying to kind of increase
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  Speaker 2: that walk ability. So it'll be it'll be really nice
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  Speaker 2: when it's done. And I just keep telling myself.
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  Speaker 1: That, yeah, because I mean, as Tony folks, she's not
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  Speaker 1: just sitting here saying that to be nice. You live
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  Speaker 1: in the middle of this, kid.
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  Speaker 2: I live at a dead end. There have been times
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  Speaker 2: where I have had to park. I've parked at city
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  Speaker 2: Hall and I've walked, you know, six blocks to get
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  Speaker 2: to my house.
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  Speaker 1: Patients with garbage pickup, I remember, and still like city
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  Speaker 1: council meetings.
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  Speaker 2: So so I've you know, had to not park at
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  Speaker 2: my house. I've had to walk a few blocks with
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  Speaker 2: groceries because you know, they've they're like, you can't get home,
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  Speaker 2: so you know, it's it has been.
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  Speaker 1: You know, these proclamations of patients are not just smoke
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  Speaker 1: up your skirts. Okay, Sterling's own mayor.
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  Speaker 2: Is living it so special treatment.
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  Speaker 1: If she can do it, you can do it, and
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  Speaker 1: it'll be it'll be well worth the waites.
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  Speaker 2: And believe me, I have called pleaded with every single
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  Speaker 2: person that I can, you know, between Union Pacific comment Nikore,
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  Speaker 2: be like, please, if there's anything that you can help
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  Speaker 2: us with or get us to the right people, you know,
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  Speaker 2: help us navigate this. Please help us, because we're just
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  Speaker 2: trying to get this get this thing going, get it,
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  Speaker 2: you know, get it completed. So it is not for
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  Speaker 2: a lack of effort by any means.
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  Speaker 1: But it's a it's a fantastic project. The roads are
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  Speaker 1: going to be repaired. We're going to have this, this bridge,
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  Speaker 1: these these paths keep connecting. I have no doubt Dixon
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  Speaker 1: is going to do its part and these things are
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  Speaker 1: all going to be connected and then you're gonna be
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  Speaker 1: able to walk the entire Sock Valley after a while.
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  Speaker 2: That's your jam.
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  Speaker 1: Yeah, speaking of jams, Christmas is your jam and Sterling
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  Speaker 1: just had its seasonal sights and sounds right.
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  Speaker 2: Yes, so yes, Christmas, says my jam. I know it's
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  Speaker 2: not for you know, for everybody, but you know, if
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  Speaker 2: I could have Christmas all yearround, I would. So we
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  Speaker 2: had our sights and sounds, uh. We and because of
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  Speaker 2: all of the construction, because of all of the road closures,
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  Speaker 2: traffic was not great. And so hopefully next year will
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  Speaker 2: be better. And we're taking into consideration, you know, feedback
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  Speaker 2: that we received, but we're you know, it was extenuating circumstances.
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  Speaker 2: I will say, Santa did say that I was on
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  Speaker 2: the nice list, so I will take that. Uh. And
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  Speaker 2: you know last year I did not get to light
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  Speaker 2: the tree because I had influenza A and that was
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  Speaker 2: the most disappointing. My doctor told me that it was
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  Speaker 2: doctor's orders and I was not allowed to go. And
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  Speaker 2: I told him that that was the most depressed I
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  Speaker 2: was probably ever and he told me I needed to
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  Speaker 2: be an adult. So but but yeah, so we we
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  Speaker 2: got the the new snowflakes on the bridge on First Avenue.
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  Speaker 2: That has been the public Works department has been trying
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  Speaker 2: to kind of budget and plan for that for a
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  Speaker 2: while and that's been kind to a two year process
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  Speaker 2: of of getting that, trying to see what what ones
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  Speaker 2: that we're going to have because with the Christmas trees,
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  Speaker 2: those come down after Christmas. With the snowflakes, those can
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  Speaker 2: stay up later. So those are planning to stay up
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  Speaker 2: throughout the winter. And so when we were at a
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  Speaker 2: conference in September, not this year, but last year, the
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  Speaker 2: vendor had one of those snowflakes at the at the
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  Speaker 2: you know conference, and I was like, I need that
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  Speaker 2: snowflake to take back to show somebody because they wanted
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  Speaker 2: to see it like in person, and they don't do samples,
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  Speaker 2: and I was like, can I please have your snowflake
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  Speaker 2: if I promise we're going to buy them? And so
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  Speaker 2: it was just like they just need to see it
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  Speaker 2: before we commit. And they actually were very happy that
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  Speaker 2: they didn't have to take their exhibits home. So so
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  Speaker 2: so you know, here I am. Those things are heavy.
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  Speaker 2: You wouldn't think that those things are heavy.
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  Speaker 1: They look light like you'd be holding up in ornament.
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  Speaker 2: Really they are very heavy and they are very big
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  Speaker 2: pretty much like I mean, it was big. And so
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  Speaker 2: they got those up on the bridge and we thought,
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  Speaker 2: you know, it was okay, we're ready to go. And
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  Speaker 2: then that night they didn't turn on and it was
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  Speaker 2: just like, okay, what's going on? And so everything was
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  Speaker 2: plugged in everything, you know, so uh, you know, brad
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  Speaker 2: our Public Work Superintendent, he made some calls and reached
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  Speaker 2: out to Helm and they got quickly got an engineer
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  Speaker 2: out for us to like help us figure out what
• 11:48
  Speaker 2: the problem is because we're like, what is going on?
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  Speaker 2: Everything else works with the with the light poles and
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  Speaker 2: it was everything was out. So we were able to
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  Speaker 2: troubleshoot that to be able to get those all lit
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  Speaker 2: and so and then also like the art installations down
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  Speaker 2: at Grandon. I don't know if you've been down there
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  Speaker 2: to see those. Those are from a local artist who
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  Speaker 2: is at our farmer's market and she does a lot
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  Speaker 2: with like wrought iron and she makes those, uh designed
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  Speaker 2: specifically for the city and so those are specifically designed
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  Speaker 2: for us, and we she I guess she's had some
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  Speaker 2: people asked to get the same designs and she's like, know,
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  Speaker 2: those are exclusive the cities. She does have other Christmas designs,
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  Speaker 2: but so we're we're happy to be able to highlight
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  Speaker 2: local local art, local talent and then also spread some
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  Speaker 2: Christmas chair we we still have, you know, we've I
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  Speaker 2: had people, Well, what about a new g Bridge avenue.
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  Speaker 2: G Bridge has different uh light poles, different light structures
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  Speaker 2: than first avenue, so it's not like easily to switch out.
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  Speaker 2: It's different infrastructure, you know, so we you know, believe me,
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  Speaker 2: if I had enough money, I believe they would be different.
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  Speaker 2: But like we have to plan. We usually get the
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  Speaker 2: stuff after the holidays, usually in January and February, because
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  Speaker 2: that's when it goes on sale. So we want to
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  Speaker 2: make sure we're getting you know. So that's why it
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  Speaker 2: takes time to play budget and then you get it
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  Speaker 2: in the off season. But we're also trying to get
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  Speaker 2: stuff for when we open up the ice ribbon down
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  Speaker 2: at the Riverfront Park so that it looks nice when
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  Speaker 2: you're down there ice skating. I want like an arch
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  Speaker 2: and you know, I mean we you know, we're already
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  Speaker 2: talking about stuff. It's not even open yet. So so yeah,
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  Speaker 2: and apparently, uh, there is off an awful lot of
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  Speaker 2: Hallmark Christmas movies that include Mayor's I'm Not Crazily Enough.
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  Speaker 2: The fact that I am all about Christmas. I'm not
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  Speaker 2: a Hallmark I'm a I'm a classic Christmas movie.
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  Speaker 1: You got to send them some footage of you on
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  Speaker 1: a roof. Yes, I don't think they've had a movie
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  Speaker 1: with that where it ends up with that.
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  Speaker 2: That's a scene, I will say. So we've had people
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  Speaker 2: ask about the tree on National the treo National was lit.
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  Speaker 2: It is out currently we are we are we need
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  Speaker 2: to like rewire it. But there's a lot of snow
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  Speaker 2: up there and it is slippery. And let me tell you,
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  Speaker 2: getting up there is not for the fandom. Heart. It's
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  Speaker 2: one thing to get onto the roof, but where the
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  Speaker 2: tree is at that ladder is not great and there
• 15:03
  Speaker 2: is a big gap from the top of the ladder
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  Speaker 2: to the building that you have to get onto. And
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  Speaker 2: so we have every intention on, you know, getting it
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  Speaker 2: lit again, but we need to make sure that we
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  Speaker 2: don't hurt any of our staff in the meantime. Safety
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  Speaker 2: safety always first, and then Christmas joy second.
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  Speaker 1: Christmas.
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  Speaker 2: Ye, yes, yes, die Hard I will like we can
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  Speaker 2: put it on the record. I do believe die Hard
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  Speaker 2: is a Christmas movie, So you can put that on
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  Speaker 2: the record. Uh, you know, mark it down. I endorse it, so,
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  Speaker 2: so yes, you know, and then you know what better
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  Speaker 2: way too, I guess bring in the new year after
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  Speaker 2: we are done uh, soreading all the cheer. Then we
• 15:53
  Speaker 2: get to talk about budgets and make everybody all miserable again.
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  Speaker 2: And so that'll be our next next kind of big thing,
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  Speaker 2: is you know, planning for the next fiscal year. What
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  Speaker 2: what is needed? You know what maybe did we try
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  Speaker 2: that maybe wasn't didn't work out, or you know, we're
• 16:19
  Speaker 2: gonna go a different way or like I know, uh
• 16:25
  Speaker 2: with our agendas the software that we got. Terry, our clerk,
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  Speaker 2: said she wanted to you know, she's just we all
• 16:32
  Speaker 2: didn't like the war the new software was. So we're
• 16:35
  Speaker 2: gonna go a different way. So there's just different things
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  Speaker 2: as you adjust with the budgets. So you know, well
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  Speaker 2: that's it's a whole big process. It'll pretty much be
• 16:46
  Speaker 2: January and then we'll vote on it in April May.
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  Speaker 2: So we'll have the public hearings in April and then
• 16:54
  Speaker 2: vote on it in May.
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  Speaker 1: So okay, well, you know these things need to be done.
• 16:59
  Speaker 1: Strolling always does tight job with that. My hat is
• 17:03
  Speaker 1: tipped to Sterling staff for looking at those numbers and
• 17:05
  Speaker 1: not going blind. Certainly isn't my forte and I couldn't
• 17:09
  Speaker 1: do it. But we'll look forward to that update when
• 17:12
  Speaker 1: when we meet next and next year. Right, we're going
• 17:15
  Speaker 1: to see each other next year. Yes, it's always the
• 17:18
  Speaker 1: funny time of year to be able to say that.
• 17:20
  Speaker 1: So we're out of time for today, but we'll be
• 17:23
  Speaker 1: looking forward to those updates and many more coming out
• 17:26
  Speaker 1: of Sterling the next time you join me. Diana, thank
• 17:28
  Speaker 1: you so much for coming in. I really appreciate it.
• 17:30
  Speaker 2: Thanks