Chiefland Commission Approves Use of City Facilities for MLK Events in January; Trick or Treating Set for Saturday, Oct 29

By Terry Witt – Spotlight Senior Reporter

Chiefland Martin Luther King (MLK) Committee received permission Monday from the Chiefland City Commission to use the Tommy Usher Center for the Jan. 7 MLK Celebration and fund-raiser.

The commission gave the organization permission to use the Tommy Usher Center from 10 a.m. to 9 p.m. on Saturday, Jan. 7, and waived any fees associated with using the city-owned facility.

Commissioners also gave the group permission to have the MLK Walk and Celebration in the Park on Monday, Jan. 16. The walk will start at Chiefland Middle High School and continue to Depot Park.

The board gave the group permission to use Depot Park from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. Depot Park, for those unfamiliar with the name, is the park used for large festivals across the street from the historic Train Depot.

MLK Street Designation

Commissioners approved spending $1,500 to hire Summerville Electric to install a Martin Luther King, Jr. sign on the traffic signal bars at the intersection of Park Avenue and U.S. 19.

The commission decided earlier that Park Avenue would also be known as Martin Luther King Road. Signs on both ends of Park Avenue designate the street – “Martin Luther King Road.”

Placing MLK signs on a federal traffic light took a little more effort than just naming the street for the civil rights leader. Ryan Asmus, project engineer for the U.S. 19 Project, Development and Environment study, went to bat for the city commission and arranged for MLK signs to be posted on the traffic light bars on U.S. 19.

City commissioners unanimously approved a resolution designating Park Avenue as the primary road and allowing the FDOT to add Martin Luther King, Jr. as the secondary road designation on the traffic light bars.

FDOT will manufacture the sign after they receive the official resolution from the city approving the secondary road designation. The city is responsible for installing the sign. Summerville Electric does that type of work for the city.

Trunk or Treat

Commissioners gave First United Methodist Church permission to hold their annual Trunk or Treat event on the church grounds and permission to block off streets around the event. The event will take place on Saturday, Oct. 29. Festivities start at 5 p.m.

Traditional door-to-door trick or treating will take place the same day – Oct. 29 – in Chiefland.