contributed photo
Lauren Boom, “Sartell Mayor for a Day,” readies her gavel to call the Feb. 27 Sartell City Council meeting to order.
by Dennis Dalman
New Sartell Mayor Lauren Boom would like to transform the city into a Water Wonderland.
Mayor Boom presented her plan to the Sartell City Council at its Feb. 27 meeting shortly after the official mayor, Ryan Fitzthum, proclaimed her as “Sartell Mayor for a Day” for Tuesday, Feb. 28.
Council and audience members, all of them with big smiles, gave Mayor Boom a standing ovation.
The daughter of Stacy and Josh Boom, Lauren is a fourth-grader at Sartell’s Riverview Intermediate School and the winner of a city-sponsored essay contest called “If I Were Mayor for a Day.”
All fourth graders in Sartell schools, as well as those at St. Francis Xavier School, were eligible to enter the contest. Mayor Fitzthum said 39 essays were submitted, including Lauren’s. Fitzthum praised all the children for writing essays brimming with innocence, positivity and energy. The would-be mayors’ proposals included a Food Bank, crosswalk guards everywhere and even the passage of a law that would require all city residents to work on Sundays – working outside, having fun and staying in shape.
In his proclamation, Fitzthum singled out Lauren’s essay for special praise, stating: “(In her essay) Lauren understood the importance of providing an amenity that the greater St. Cloud region does not currently have and provided ways to safely offer the amenity, noting to keep it affordable for all.”
After reading her essay to the council and audience, Mayor Fitzthum presented Mayor of the Day Boom with a printed form of the official proclamation. She then had a chance to walk up behind the council bench and hold the mayor’s gavel, to a flurry of applause.
The following is Lauren Booms’s winning essay, entitled “If I Were Mayor for a Day.”
“If I were mayor for a day, I would add to the community center in Sartell. I would add a pool and water park because there are no pools or water parks in Sartell. Usually, families have to go to St. Cloud or even farther than that. It would be somewhere fun to go to all year round. You could also have birthday parties and other events there.
“Some things that will be at the water park include a lazy river, hot tub, wading pool, wave pool, fun water slides and so much more. There would also be a deep pool and a shallow pool that the younger kids can go in, so it’s fun for all ages in many ways. There will also be lifeguards by every pool and water slide, and every two hours there will be a half-hour break for safety.
“The cost is $5 for kids and $6 for adults. Once a month there will be a day where kids can swim free for an hour. There will be a concession stand where there will be snacks, drinks and fun treats. There will be a small shop where there will be swimwear in case you forgot or need some extras.
“All in all, if I were mayor for a day I would add a pool and water park to the community center in Sartell. I think it would be a great way to make our community better.”
“Sartell Mayor for a Day” Lauren Boom accepts a proclamation written and signed by the “other” mayor, Ryan Fitzthum, at the Feb. 27 city-council meeting. Lauren’s essay was proclaimed the best of 39 essays submitted by Sartell fourth-graders. She is a student at Riverview Intermediate School.
