Doing your part

    With the holiday season upon us we are in one of the busiest times of the year. In addition to the normal activities that life offers there are gifts to buy and wrap, shopping to do, cards to mail and, … well you get the idea. It’s a time of year when we get caught up in our activities that we often don’t take the time to stop and pause for other reasons. It’s those other reason that I want to write about.     The holidays, the constantly changing world, catastrophic world events and life in general produces stress. So, make some time for yourself whenever possible to reduce the stress level.
    Remember the less fortunate. Life produces a multitude of misfortunes that result in economic and emotion needs to be filled. Do your part in giving whenever you can in areas that you feel will help others.
    Be active in the community. The City of Presque Isle and its surrounding communities are successful because of the overall sense of community and community spirit. If you are not active in community affairs, consider getting involved.
    And, how can one become involved? It’s simple. Volunteer for or a civic, paternal or church group. It can also be by offering to serve on community committees. The City has several potential advisory board openings that it is accepting names on for appointments in January. If you are interested, feel free to contact Nancy Nichols, City Clerk, at 764-2520. The advisory boards assist in serving the needs of the public services the City offers.
    Becoming involved from a City perspective also means doing your civic duty for participating in such things as public hearings and community forums. For example, the City is in the process of adopting its annual budget. If you have ideas on the budget let me, members of the City Council or others know what they are.
    In summary, if everyone does his and her part, not only the City but the entire area is better served. Happy holidays!
    Thomas Stevens is the city manager of Presque Isle. He can be reached at tstevens@presqueisleme.us or at 764-4485.