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Toledo City Council members met briefly inside the South Lewis County community’s city hall on Monday, May 18, as only two items were on their regular meeting’s agenda for that day.
Much of the meeting was devoted to discussing a city staff proposal for the city’s official America250 project. America250 is a nationwide collaborative celebration of the country’s upcoming 250th birthday on Independence Day, July 4.
The only other agenda item was Toledo Mayor Cherie Devore administering Brandie Devine’s oath of office to appoint Devine to a Toledo Park Board vacancy.
As for the City of Toledo’s America250 project, Toledo Utilities Clerk Sarah Hazlett shared the staff proposal with the council — a “Wishing Wall” mural.
Hazlett added the project is still in the planning phase and was at Monday’s meeting simply to ask for the council’s approval to have the mural displayed inside the Toledo City Hall’s council chambers. Councilors unanimously approved her request.
The mural will be put up inside Toledo City Hall for residents to share their thoughts on both the Independence Day celebration along with possible “wishes and suggestions” for beautification projects they would like to see in the community.
“I think it would be a really good idea for the city to have a voice, and to have it visually heard,” Hazlett said. “Depending on what comes through, some (projects) may be very easy to manage and handle. Some may take some time. There may be some that we can’t do at all, however, I want to acknowledge those.”
The mural will feature a Cowlitz River scene painted by Emily Feigenbaum and a friend, both Toledo High School students, who volunteered to lay out and paint the mural.
Toledo residents will be able to choose from a number of different items to write their wishes on, including leaves, a salmon, river stones, driftwood tags and paper boats.
“The goal is to have it done by the Fourth of July, that way when we come in for our July 6 meeting, it’s up there and ready to go,” Hazlett added.
While the council unanimously approved placing the mural inside their chambers, Councilor Jamie Scalise cautioned Hazlett to be prepared for the possibility of receiving negative feedback from residents.
“If that happens, that’s OK. My goal is for their voice to be heard. I want to know what’s going on, what they think, what they’d like to see happen. Events, ideas, changes, you know? How can we make this town better, and bring the community together,” said Hazlett. “That’s what I want this wall to be about.”
Once Hazlett returns to the council for final approval with the completed project plans, the “Wishing Wall” will join the Vision:TOLEDO America250 banners unveiled last month, as previously reported by The Chronicle, in celebrating the nation’s 250th birthday.
The banners include one of Celeste Rochon — one of region’s original settlers who is credited with having named the city — which now hangs next to the entrance of Toledo City Hall, along with an America250 celebratory banner featuring the old side-wheel Steamboat Toledo, which Celeste named the city after.
Celeste was of Chinook and French-Canadian descent, and was married to Augustine Rochon who settled in the region in 1838 to assist with church building on the Cowlitz Prairie according to historian Curt Cunningham.
By 1881, Steamboat Toledo captain Oren Kellogg bought some land along the Cowlitz River from Augustine, and told Celeste she could have the honor of naming the new town he wanted to incorporate there.
The steamboat banner is located on the fence lining the city water tanks along state Route 505 going into the South Lewis County community.
The Toledo City Council meetings regularly on the first and third Monday of each month starting at 6 p.m. inside Toledo City Hall, located at 130 N. Second St.
