Mayor Mike Aspacher swore in the new fire division’s Deputy Chief, Tony Zmarzly, at the city council meeting on Feb. 7. 

Aspacher said Zmarzly has been committed to the community and Bowling Green residents for years.

Fire Chief, Bill Moorman, spoke highly of Zmarzly’s dedication to the job. 

“Tony exemplifies what it takes to excel in his chosen profession,” Moorman said. “His commitment to the community is unwavering. Tony is what makes BG Fire one of the greatest departments in the country.” 

The city of Bowling Green will receive $7.3 million to go towards the community. It was approved by Congress and will be used for five different projects:

• Residential paving: $3 million 

• Housing grants: $300,000 

• Support for the Inclusive Playground being built by the Carter Park Project: $100,000

• MARCS Communication Equipment (improvement of public safety communications): $350,000 

• The City Park Paving Project (road widening, a walking path and security improvements): $250,000

But there is 3.3 million dollars left over, so American Rescue Plan Act members developed a survey to get community members’ opinions and ideas on what to fund with the remaining money. Amanda Gamby and Hallie Williams presented the survey, which is formatted in a way that makes it easily accessible and short enough to complete within minutes. 

The survey asks the participants to identify their connection to Bowling Green and to rank the various projects ideas in order of importance, which include downtown enhancements, park and recreation, community development, and pedestrian and bicycle safety infrastructure. 

The last question in the survey gives the participants the chance to suggest their own ideas for investments in Bowling Green.

“The final section was important to us because we recognize that we probably didn’t capture all of the great ideas out there,” Gamby said. “We wanted the respondents to have the opportunity to give us that feedback.”

The next city council meeting will be held on Feb. 21 at 7 p.m.