Anderson wins 3 of 4 Healthy Shasta awards at ceremony

HEALTHY AWARD: Shasta County Administrative Officer Larry Lees, far left, congratulates John Stokes and Dana Shigley as Mayor Butch Schaefer accepts the award from Supervisor David Kehoe.

During MarketFest last week in Redding, the City of Anderson and two Anderson groups were honored as Action Heroes by Healthy Shasta, a partnership of 16 entities committed to making eating and physical activity choices easier for Shasta County residents.

Each of the four Action Hero awards went to individuals, groups or organizations that were "making healthy eating and physical activity choices easier for others, explained Marta McKenzie.

The City of Anderson, population 10,000, was honored as an Organization Action Hero because the city has incorporated health into its General Plan and included policies and amenities that support walkability, expansion of parks and recreation programs and the integration of trails into its circulation plan, said Shasta County Supervisor David Kehoe, who co-emceed the awards presentation along with Larry Lees, the county's administrative officer.

Accepting the engraved glass statuette on behalf of the city were Mayor Butch Schaefer, Acting City Manager Dana Shigley and Planning Director John Stokes.

"They are guiding future developments to make walking more convenient for both recreation and transportation for generations to come," Kehoe said of Anderson's General Plan amendments.

"We really appreciate your recognition here tonight. We invite all of you to come on down to enjoy our trails and parks in Anderson," Schaefer said when given the microphone.

"Let's hear it for the City of Anderson. The city that can get things done," Kehoe said in response, leading a round of applause from the MarketFest audience that organizers estimated at nearly 1,800 when the awards were presented shortly after 7 p.m.

Among the elements singled out for special recognition were a recently-completed trail system with exercise stations at Volonte Park, an 18-hole disc golf course at Anderson River Park and a pedestrian-friendly downtown redevelopment, all of which combines makes "physical activity free and convenient for residents and visitors alike," McKenzie said.

In the future, the city also plans to add trail expensions that will link low-income housing to parks, she noted.

"Cities are not usually mandated to include health in their General Plans, but we think it is good public policy to do so, resulting in improved health and quality of life for all residents," Kehoe explained, adding, "Such policies positively impact residents for many generations to come."

The Youth Action Hero award went to Carly Rosen, 18, a recent Anderson Union High School graduate. Rosen was then joined on stage by Rosemae Geronimo, 17, and Oliva Robertson, 17, also Anderson High graduates for the final award as members of Cub L.E.A.N., a group at AUHS that won the Club/Group category.