DATE: June 13, 2011
Karen Herr, 740.382.2181
NUCOR/CITY PARTNERSHIP
BENEFITS DOWNTOWN MARION
MARION, OH – In these tough economic times, cities find it hard just to maintain the essential city services. Under staffed and underfunded, it’s often the extras that city departments simply do not have the resources to handle any longer.
This was the case for the Marion City Parks Department when it came to the 14 large round planters in Downtown Marion. Parks Superintendent Mike Cheney stated, “We realized how important these planters are to the overall appearance of our city to residents and visitors alike, but we just didn’t have the budget or manpower to purchase the necessary plants and get them put in … and that’s when Nucor came into the picture.”
Nucor Marion, located on Cheney Avenue, is a steel mill that employs 258. Amanda Berry, Shipping Clerk, said, “Nucor takes its role as a corporate citizen very seriously. We recognize our need to create a cleaner environment, a safer workplace, and a stronger community.”
Cheney had done extensive research on the variety of plants that would work well in these types of planters, maintaining their appearance with little supervision. Nucor then purchased the foliage based on Cheney’s diagrams and the help of Marion Flower Shop; and approximately 25 Nucor employees and their families met downtown Saturday morning to complete to the planting project.
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| Amanda Berry (back to camera) gives instructions to Nucor volunteers as they prepare to plant flowers in the 14 downtown Marion planters Saturday morning. |
Berry, who coordinated the effort for Nucor, said, “We had wanted to get everything done prior to the car show. Unfortunately, various things from the weather to work schedules put us behind. However, Nucor employees were excited to do this project for the community we live and work in.” Workers at General Recycling, a division of Nucor Steel Marion located on Bartram Avenue, also joined in the spirit of this project and planted a couple of the planters last week.
Downtown Marion Manager Karen Herr was ecstatic with the results of the project, “You’d probably be surprised by the number of people who had asked me about the planters – it was amazing how many took note of the fact they had not yet been done. I’m so pleased Nucor stepped up and took this on. With all of the budget problems our local governments are currently facing, I believe these public/private partnerships will be an essential part in moving Marion forward.”
Cheney was also very pleased with the results of Nucor’s endeavor, “On behalf of the City of Marion and myself,” said Cheney, “I’d like to thank both Nucor and the volunteers who took time out of their busy weekend to do this. They did a wonderful job.”
Downtown Marion, Inc. is a non-profit organization whose mission is the revitalization of downtown Marion as a central hub for the community. Further information may be obtained at www.downtownmarion.com.
