The Culver Town Council members voted against a motion to withdraw the town’s commitment toward the Blue Zones initiative.
According to information about the program in stories contributed to MAX News by Jamie Fleury from The Pilot News, Blue Zones helps establish places including restaurants and grocery stores that offer healthy food options and increase walking trails, an initiative already embraced by Marshall County through Stellar and Regional Cities, to help increase access to improved health factors.
The town previously agreed to provide a match toward Blue Zones in the amount of $25,000 for each of the three years to initiate the program in Marshall County. During the town’s December 13 meeting, the council voted 3-2 to pull the $25,000 proposed match from 2023 only to possibly be used for other matters within the town’s budget.
After a lengthy discussion during the December 27 meeting, the Culver Town Council members approved a motion by a majority vote to reinstate $15,000 of the 2023 funding for the program. Council members Sally Ricciardi, Bill Clevenger and Rich West voted in favor while Bill Githens and Bill Hamm voted against the motion.
This week, Councilman Bill Githens revisited the town’s decision to reinstate $15,000 toward the Blue Zones initiative. He wants to rescind that funding for Blue Zones to be used toward employee retention. He made a motion to that effect which was seconded by Councilman Bill Hamm. Githens and Hamm voted in support of the motion, while Council President Bill Cleavenger, Councilwoman Sally Ricciardi and Councilman Rich West opposed the vote. With that, the motion failed.
