Ongoing Sponsorship Program Raises Money, Brightens Town

Mayor Becky Erickson’s non-formal fundraising effort has aided in bringing the Glasgow Downtown Revitalization Plan to beautiful fruition.

The donation push, which Erickson says has consisted of a few mail-outs and one cocktail party, pulled in $7,100 this summer. Both organizations and individuals have been involved. All of the money came from donations and grants; no taxpayer money was used.

“We’ve got a very giving community,” lauds Erickson.

The benefactors include Valley County Community Foundation, Northwestern Energy, Wells Fargo Bank, Farm Credit Services, Independence Bank, Fort Peck Credit Union, the Glasgow Chamber of Commerce, and First Community Bank. Private donations accounted for $1,700.

The money has been used to purchase benches, a picnic table, garbage cans, brackets, hanging flower baskets, and flower pots.

Erickson notes the flower displays, which hang in front of various downtown establishments, to be an especially worthwhile investment. “We’ve had all positive comments thus far,” she says of the twelve hanging baskets purchased this summer via the funds.

The mayor plans to expand the florid aspect of the revitalization effort next summer. Meetings will be held throughout the winter with the Merchants’ Committee; her aim is to establish a sponsorship drive, through which people can purchase an array of hanging flowers, to be tended by the city government for one year, and dedicate them to a particular cause, a deceased loved one, or an organization — Glasgow High School Class of ’80, for example. The displays would be accompanied by a plaque noting the donating party. 

“We hope to have things up and ready to go by early May [2016],” says Erickson. “This is one of the first steps to unifying the downtown area. It was a matter of baby steps this year, to see how things would fly. From here, it will only get better.”