By Morgan Bryce
Associate Editor

Funding for the Smiths Station Historic Preservation Commission was approved during last Tuesday’s city council meeting.
Given a seed grant of $2,500 by the city, the commission will exist to mark and protect buildings and sites with historical significance, according to Mayor Bubba Copeland.
“One thing that we needed to do is preserve our history. We’ve been a city for 16 years, and we have not been good stewards of what we have,” Copeland said. “We have made strides in finding our history since we started on this project, which I think is very key to remembering where we came from and establishing our future, and that’s the whole point of the commission: preserving what we have.”
Copeland added that the group will consist of 10 members, each volunteers who will serve rotating terms of one, two or up to three years in length.
Sarah West, a commission member, said she is excited to be a part of preserving the city’s past for future generations.
“I’m honored to be a part of developing Smiths Station’s Historic Preservation Commission. As a passionate advocate for historic preservation, community and resource conservation, I’m inspired by the progressive work taking place on Smiths Station’s City Hall Campus, for posterity,” West said. “In a historically rural railroad town, there have been few known landmarks that people could seek out, and visit to learn more about their heritage, and the cultural geography of the area in which they live. Through the work of Smiths Station’s Historic Commission, we will have that, and we are already working to locate and identify other landmarks. What has often gone overlooked or unseen will be unearthed, dusted off and renewed for posterity.”
The council also approved a resolution funding the city’s “Outdoor Family Movie Night” July 14 at the Smiths Station Sports Complex. Admission to the event is free and includes a showing of “Despicable Me 3” as well as food trucks and live music.
In other business, the council:
• approved May’s financial statements
• approved a resolution authorizing a grant of $2,500 to be given to the Smiths Station Historic Preservation Commission
• discussed the progress of the city’s planned veteran memorial.