A rose to all the Main Street Columbus Award winners, a list that includes Penny Bowen (President’s Choice Award), Rae’s Jewelry (Design Award), Dan/Kim Bennett and Will Cooper, Rob Graham and Stewart Stafford (Renovation awards) and Kenneth Montgomery, Shannon Bowen, Dawn Barham, Byron/Roberta Weeks and Terry Green (Service awards). The contributions of these downtown business people go beyond their own interests. They have demonstrated, through their contributions to the Main Street Columbus programs, the importance of working together with all of downtown to make the area a point of pride for our entire community. We salute not only these award winners, but to all whose contributions have added so much to our downtown.
A rose to 4-County Electric Power Association, which last week reached a milestone few electric companies attain. On Feb. 11, 4-County workers surpassed one million hours without a lost-time accident in an industry that routinely puts its workers in difficult, sometimes dangerous, situations. According to industry data, there were 27 fatalities last year – making for a rate of 21.5 fatalities per 100,000 full-time equivalent workers. These statistics make the electric power industry the sixth most dangerous job in the United States. 4-County’s safety record is something they can take pride in. It is obvious the company has made a great commitment to ensuring the safety of their employees, something every company should strive to emulate.
A rose to the Columbus Police Department for its leadership in empowering our neighborhoods in the fight against crime. The CPD wants to strengthen its neighborhood watch program in the city, starting with east Columbus, which has seen a spike in crime in recent months.
Community Relations Officer Rhonda Sanders, along with Chief Tony Carleton, held an introductory meeting for the watches Saturday, providing residents with information on how to organize and run programs in their neighborhoods. Without community involvement, the police are hopelessly outnumbered. But with community support well-organized neighborhood watches provide, the “good guys” have the numbers in their favor. That makes a huge difference.
A rose of congratulations to Airbus, which was awarded a $220.5 million contract to produce 41 UH-72A Lakota helicopters for the U.S. Army. U.S. Sen. Thad Cochran, chairman of the Senate Defense Appropriations Committee, made the announcement and should be applauded for his efforts. As is common with many industries that rely on government contracts to keep production lines running – and workers working – Airbus has had its shares of ups and downs over the past few years. This new contract certainly brightens the horizon for one of our leading industries.
The Dispatch Editorial Board is made up of publisher Peter Imes, columnist Slim Smith, managing editor Zack Plair and senior newsroom staff.
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