Tuskegee Airman to be Honored by City Council

Tonight's Mayor and Board of Aldermen meeting will be the site of a special presentation to an Acworth resident who flew with some of the most legendary American pilots of the Second World War.

Second Lieutenant Leonard C. Hall, Jr, originally from Philadelpha, graduated from the Tuskegee Flight School on June 27, 1945. This renowned flight school was the birthplace of the famed 332nd Fighter Group, better known today as the Tuskegee Airmen.

The all-black fighter group was the first of its kind in a then-segregated Army. At the controls of their red-tailed P-51 Mustang fighters, the 332nd did battle with the Luftwaffe over the skies of Europe, defending the B-17 and B-24 bombers that engaged in daring daytime raids to cripple the Axis war machine. Over the course of the unit's existence, the “Red-Tailed Angels” lost only 25 bombers to enemy action.

In keeping with the spirit of Black History Month, the Acworth Achiever Mentoring and After School Program Participants will honor Hall for his wartime service and for the pivotal role the Tuskegee Airmen played in the history of race relations in the United States. The Mayor and Board of Aldermen will also issue a proclamation honoring Black History Month 2011.

In addition, proclamations will be presented to the Arbor Day Poster Contest winners from McCall Primary, Acworth Elementary, Frey Elementary and Brookwood Christian Schools. A seperate proclamation will be made in honor of Georgia Arbor Day, which is Friday.

Up for approval on tonight's agenda is a proposal to allow the city to share its business occupation tax records with the state Department of Revenue to ensure that all taxes are in order. Other items on the docket include the awarding of a $77,490 contract to Lewallen Construction Co. for the Senator Russell Streetscape Improvement Project. A one-year, $37,149 contract extension will also be tendered to RGS Landscaping Management to handle the city's mowing needs.

The agenda also includes the approval of dates for some Summer activities. There will be a professional wakeboarding event from May 19-21, from 9:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m. The Smoke on the Lake Backyard Barbecue event will be on Saturday, May 7 from 10:00 a.m. to 9:00 p.m. In addition, the Georgia State Games Commission will be allowed to use Lake Acworth at Cauble Park on July 16 for their 1k, 3k, and 5k Open Water Swimming Championships. McCall Primary will get to use Cauble Park on May 6 to celebrate their accomplishments in the One Million Words Reading Campaign.