It has been an amazingly busy few months in McLoud. As a community we have seen some challenges, some changes, and some amazing additions! Some of those things are highlighted below:

Our friends at Pioneer Library and McLoud Library have hosted a number of events in the city over the summer and have had a very successful summer reading program. One of my highlight events was the mobile dairy. Along with all the amazing programs they will also be bringing some permanent additions to our park. Construction will take place mid-September. We are very fortunate to have such great organizations and people who invest in our community.

Our partners, the McLoud Friends of the Park, have been diligently searching working your Veteran’s Park. With the funding so graciously approved by Pottawatomie County Commissioners, an amazing new festival grounds was completed just in time for the 2025 Blackberry Festival. This project is a testament to community. Many hands and many organizations came together make a longtime dream a reality. The McLoud Chamber of Commerce was able to hold the largest festival to date with thousands of visitors and a big-name band under the shade trees. 

As far as the city officials and employees, we have been working hard for you as well. Through careful planning and budgeting, your McLoud Fire Department has seen some major upgrades. With the use of ARPA funding, the McLoud City Council gave us their blessing to purchase a brand-new brush truck. We have purchased a brand new 2025 Ford F-350 which is currently at the upfitter receiving its new bed and firefighting equipment. We were also able to make some very significant changes in staffing. We are proud to announce the addition of 3 additional full-time firefighter positions to our staff! We will now be at a level that will help reduce firefighter fatigue and provide better service and call times to our citizens. Unfortunately, this spring, Engine 1 was involved in a rollover accident on Interstate 40 while in-route to a call. Luckily nobody was injured but the truck was totaled. We are currently in the process of looking for the right engine to replace the wrecked one. 

Our PWA crew has also been working hard alongside the county crew to continue road maintenance. We have partnered with Pottawatomie County District 1 and 2 for extensive patching on 89th Street from 102 to Pottawatomie County Rd. The PWA has also been patching throughout the city. We are still working on the sewer issues on 10th street and have called in engineers for some solutions. We continue to make progress on the $1,000,000 ARPA sewer rehabilitation project and the engineering on the $6,000,000 Interstate 40 sewer project.

As always, thanks for being "McLoud Proud!"