Glendale Mayor Crystal Martin says securing money to improve the city’s aging infrastructure, including a sewer treatment plant dating to the 1970s, is her biggest challenge.
“We constantly fight for grants just to keep our infrastructure together,” Martin said.
The former logging hub between Grants Pass and Roseburg, off Interstate 5, has roughly 900 residents. Martin said maintaining its infrastructure takes persistence, while sustaining its community takes “grit and neighborly love.”
She credited Glendale’s city manager with securing $2 million in grants and handling a wide range of responsibilities, describing her as “quite literally everything.”
Martin’s own work extends beyond City Hall. She serves as president of the Cow Creek Valley Community Association and helps run the local food bank, which she said assists roughly 300 families a month.
“No one should ever go hungry,” Martin said.
The city’s Fourth of July celebration also brings the community together. Martin described the event as “three days of fun,” including a fireworks show at the local high school. She said the celebration attracts roughly 1,000 people each year.
For Martin, improving the city’s basic systems remains a priority.
“I would like to improve our infrastructure in any way possible,” she said.
Guest
- Crystal Martin, mayor, Glendale, Oregon
