The Rotary Club of Warren met Tuesday, Feb. 7 for its weekly meeting at First United Methodist Church. The group inducted Leeanna Williams as a new member before hearing from Warren High School Junior Rotarian Maddox Lassiter.
Rotarian Robert Milton then introduced his program of Warren Mayor Gregg Reep. After hearing Lassiter’s speech as a Junior Rotarian, Mayor Reep spoke about his experience as a Junior Rotarian when he was in high school and talked about how impressed he was with Lassiter and Raven Harris, Warren’s other Junior Rotarian for this two-week period. Reep, who previously served as Mayor of Warren for 18 years from 1987 to 2005, talked about of few different subjects. He touched on the differences between his first tenure as mayor and what lies ahead for him now, ranging from the changes in businesses in town to how much the price has changed to acquire asphalt to pave roads. Reep added some comments about different services the city provides and how important it is to have strong police and fire departments.
One subject he spoke at length on was some downtown buildings and what the future holds for them. He said the city owns the old Bryant’s building and will be tearing it down in the future. The buildings which house Lighthouse Church, the Sandwich Shop, and the former Hankins Hardware store were the other downtown buildings. He said an architect and engineer were in town to view them and give their expertise on the structures. Mayor Reep reiterated that the city does not want to run the business owners away, but that it’s become an issue of public safety. There is some hope that other locations in the city could house the businesses, even on a temporary basis. The presentation closed with some comments from Mayor Reep about the status of the Cultural Center. It needs some major repairs, but it’s his wish to see the Cultural Center remain a viable option for different types of events.
Top photo: Picture (from L to R) of Rotarian Robert Milton with Warren Mayor Gregg Reep