MURFREESBORO – Her voice lifted above the crowd and her arms moved rhythmically through the air.

Ivy Pope of Rich Square W.S. Creecy Elementary School recited “Still I Rise” by Maya Angelou for the Murfreesboro Town Council and those citizens in attendance on February 27.

“Leaving behind nights of terror and fear, I rise, into a daybreak that’s wondrously clear, I rise,” enumerated the fourth grader. “Bringing the gifts that my ancestors gave, I am the dream and the hope of the slave. I rise. I rise. I rise.”

Pope was invited by Murfreesboro Mayor Lynn Johnson to deliver the poem for the board in celebration of Black History Month.

Joyce Buffaloe, an employee from CADA (Choanoake Area Development Association) joined Pope for the meeting.

Johnson invited Pope to the meeting after seeing her perform along with other children at a CADA dinner event.

In other business, the board approved a resolution of appreciation for Clarence Wynn who resigned from the Murfreesboro Planning Board at the beginning of the month due to health reasons.

Public Works Superintendent Gene Byrd brought up the computer issues that the town’s departments have been facing after half of the database was deleted by a woman hired to help with the switch over.

In January, the town’s computer systems were switched over to Windows. The town has spent $1,600 for training employees to work the new system.

“I don’t see how someone can press one button and wipe out half of the database,” said Byrd.

Employees, including the clerk and deputy clerk, have been typing records back into the database.

Council members were concerned why the computer problems haven’t been addressed before hand.

“We should have been addressing this a long time ago,” said Councilman Bill Theodorakis.

The board approved a motion to receive a bid from Michael Neal and Associates, Inc. for a reforestation plan.

There was discussion about the bid between the board members, Board Attorney Bob Lee and Byrd.

Byrd suggested that the board hold off making a decision on it until the wastewater project is done. Lee told the board that the longer they waited the more expensive the reforestation would be.

“If it’s not done by February or March, we’ll have to wait until next year,” said Lee.

The plan would cover an approximated 24 acres on the northeast side of town on US 258.

An application for mosquito control state aid was approved, as well as a debt set off change.

Byrd reported that the water system inspection by Public Water Supply, a division of DENR (Department of Environment and Natural Resources), had gone well.

A public hearing for the Jefcoat Museum’s Pork Fest was rescheduled for March 15.