Congratulations gotta take a half an hour anyway.

All right, good evening, everyone.

Um first off, I'm sorry about this delay.

We obviously don't have a quorum right now.

I spoke to Councilmember Proctor.

Uh she was under the weather all day, and she's just told me she's not going to make it.

So we will open up and we will do the proclamation recognizing Arbor Day, and we will have Ocean City University graduation.

Um that will be the extent of today's meeting.

So I will turn it over to Councilmember Metressic if you could lead us in her prayer and her pledge.

What was that?

Nope, changed your mind.

Lord, we come to you today in earnest to thank you for another day to live in one of the most beautiful places in your creation.

We thank you for a chance to serve its wonderful citizens, and Lord, we ask that you would seek out those who need you most in these trying times, that you would be with them now and always and share them with your blessings.

Amen.

Pledge leads to the flag of the United States of America and to the Republic for which it stands.

One nation under God, indivisible with liberty and justice for all right.

Yeah.

Mr.

Mayor, we have a proclamation recognizing Arbor Day, April 24th, 2026.

This is one of those meetings.

In fact, it's never been one like this.

Donna, would you like to join me?

Like the rest of the ladies.

Sure.

Come on now, ladies.

I've asked uh the beautification committee to join me for the uh proclamation for Arbor Day.

And Donna, um, after I'll be your proclamation, I'll have you introduce all your members.

And Arbor Day is annual.

Seems to come faster every year.

I don't know why that is.

Uh, but we do do this, and we're very proud of Arbor Day in Ocean City because, as the proclamation states, is we are a tree city, and I think that's a tremendous accomplishment.

And that's been accomplished by some good planning by our planning and community development, our parks and recreation, and of course the beautification committee.

And it's helped us gain that status, and we're very, very proud of that status.

Kate, you're here with us tonight as well.

Thank you if you'd like to join us from Park and Rec.

We'd love to have you.

But it does make a difference.

Come on up.

And it's definitely a community effort, and these ladies all put a great effort into it individually and as a group as well.

So I'm gonna read the Arbor Day Proclamation, and it states.

Where at, I don't know, I should know this by heart.

Whereas in 1872, Jay Sterling Morton proposed to the Nebraska Board of Agriculture that a special day be set aside for the planting of trees.

And whereas this holiday called Arbor Day was first observed with the planting of more than a million trees in our Nebraska and is now observed throughout the nation and throughout the world.

Whereas trees are vital to the health and well-being of our environment, providing oxygen, reducing carbon dioxide, mitigating climate change, and enhancing the beauty of our landscape.

Whereas Arbor Day serves as an important reminder of the significance of trees and the need for their conservation and sustainable management.

Whereas, by promoting tree planning and care, we can contribute to the improvement of air and water quality, the reduction of energy consumption, and the creation of healthier communities.

Whereas Arbor Day provides an opportunity for individuals, communities, and organizations to come together to plant trees, educate others about their importance, and uh celebrate their benefits.

Now, therefore, I Rick Neon, the mayor of the town of Ocean City, along with the City Council to hereby proclaim April 24th, 2026 as Arbor Day in the town of Ocean City, Maryland, and I urge all citizens to celebrate Arbor Day and to support efforts to promote our trees and our woodlands forever.

So that's our proclamation.

Of course, it's not until April 24th.

But Donna's here from the Beautification Committee to talk about how we celebrate Arbor Day and what they do to celebrate Arbor Day in the Ocean City area.

Donna?

Thank you.

The committee members that I have with me tonight are Liz Dare, Nancy Gardner, Marianne Manganello, and Katie Dorum.

And we have the director of recreation and parks with us tonight.

This is her first Arbor Day, so we're very pleased that she came to support us tonight.

Thank you, Kate.

Kate Gaddis.

So Arbor Day has probably been celebrated in Ocean City, I think, for over probably over 35 years because it's been 34 years that we have been getting the Tree City USA Award from the National Arbor Day Foundation.

And that's really quite an accomplishment for just a little barrier island, and especially if you think back 35 years, what it was like then.