I try to be really good.

Good evening, and welcome to the town council meeting for October 7th, 2024.

Um I believe all counselors are accounted for.

I'm trying to see if Councillor Smith, yes, he's connecting as we speak.

So all counselors are here, so that will serve as our roll call.

Item number two on our agenda is a prayer and or reflection.

Counselors do have the liberty to either offer a prayer or a reflection.

And tonight that will be led by Councillor Walker.

And also we'll be doing the Pledge of Allegiance.

Thank you, Madame Mayor.

Um place of a prayer this evening, I um chose to remind everyone about the national um catastrophe that we have.

Hurricane Helen has devastated many areas of North Carolina, Georgia, and Tennessee.

And the death toll from Hurricane Helen as of today, it has reached two hundred and twenty-seven people who have died.

That is beyond uh disaster.

It's uh an emergency in this country that everybody needs to come together to address.

After having dealt with Hurricane Helen, we now have Hurricane Milton threatening most of Florida.

So it's disaster on top of disaster.

In the great American spirit of helping each other, there are many heroes working around the cloud to help fellow citizens.

Many people have lost everything, including their homes.

Many are without electricity, many are without running water.

And so in the spirit of the founders of this great republic, we're reminded that we need to help each other out in this time of devastation and great loss, and say that let us do what Americans have always done, and that is to help their fellow men.

This is not about helping a Republican or helping a Democrat or helping any type of a religion, it's Americans helping each other.

And there are many um areas where people can make donations if they so need to.

Thank you, Councillor Walker.

Item number four on our agenda is proclamations and award this evening.

We do have three proclamations, and we'll begin with proclam a proclamation designating October 2024 as fire prevention month.

And at this time, we will ask Councillor Mary Armstrong, who heads up our health and safety committee to present that proclamation.

And at the conclusion, we will ask Fire Marshal Volkert and Ms.

Lloyd from JFK School, the art teacher, to join us up here.

Thank you.

Thanks.

Whereas the town of Windsor is committed to ensuring the safety and security of all those living in and visiting the town.

And whereas fire is a serious public safety concern, both locally and nationally, and homes are the location where people are at greatest risk from fire.

And whereas roughly three out of five fire deaths happen in homes with either no smoke alarms or with non-working smoke alarms.

And whereas smoke alarms send smoke well before you can, alerting you to danger in the event of fire in which you may have as little as two minutes to escape safely.

And whereas Windsor residents should install smoke alarms in every sleeping room outside each separate sleeping area and on every level of the home.

And whereas Windsor residents will make sure their smoke alarms meet the needs of all their family members, including those with sensory or physical disabilities.

And whereas residents who have planned and practicing home fire escape plan are more prepared and will therefore be more likely to survive a fire.

And whereas Windsor's first responders are dedicated to reducing the occurrence of home fires and home fire injuries through prevention and protection education.

And whereas the 2024 Fire Presentation Week theme, smoke alarms, make them work for you, serves to remind us of the importance of having working smoke alarms in the home.

Now, therefore, be it proclaimed by the mayor and the Windsor Town Council that October 2024 be proclaimed as fire prevention month throughout this town, and that all residents of Windsor are urged to make sure their homes have working smoke alarms and support the many public safety activities and efforts of Windsor's fire and emergency services.

It is signed and seal Nouchette Blackbrook, Mayor of Windsor, October 7th, 2024.

Thank you very much.

All right.

Thank you very much.

This year's theme is near and dear to my heart.

Smoke alarms are one of the things that we constantly talk about to all of our audiences for fire prevention, both young and old, because it's important at every age to make sure that we've got smoke alarms that will work for us, that they're less than 10 years old and have working batteries.

And so every year we recognize a member of our community who has been a great partner with us in fire prevention.

And so this year we're recognizing Miss Ellie Lloyd from JFK School.

She has become a champion for fire prevention, and in particular, the fire prevention poster contest that's a statewide contest, even integrating it into the town wide art curriculum so that all of our students are able to participate in fourth and fifth grade.

So thank you very much for your efforts towards fire prevention.

Thank you.

Thank you.

Thank you.

Thank you.

Thank you.

Again, thank you so much.

Our next proclamation this evening is declaring October 2024 as Manufacturing Month.

And this proclamation will be presented by Counselor Glock Hoffman, and after she's concluded reading the proclamation, I would ask that hopefully I don't mess up these names.

I think I have them out of order, that Patrick McMehan and William Smith join us, did I get that correct?