Letter to the Editor - An Olive Branch

It's your town. Your lives. Your stories. Make sure someone's telling them—donate to Decorah News now. Dear Editor, I know some people were frustrated when the Winneshiek County Board of Supervisors failed to approve funding for the Decorah Athletic Complex. That frustration was understandable, as their lack of cooperation did not allow the city to apply for a CAT grant, which would have allowed the city to acquire up to $500,000 in additional funding. However, things changed on Monday, September 29. Dan Langreck, the Chairman of the Board had a change of heart. After careful consideration and listening to his constituents, Mr. Langreck joined Shirley Vermace and Mark Faldet and voted to approve $5,000 of the county budget to contribute to the Athletic Complex. Thus since the requirements to submit for the grant were met the city of Decorah is now in the process of preparing that grant application. I believe this is an important moment. Mr. Langreck should be commended for his actions. It takes a great deal of courage to change your mind and vote on an issue that has become somewhat divisive in the county. I'm sure he has heard from a number of constituents that were against the county providing this funding. You see, the county put this on their agenda at least five or six times as a topic of discussion. That fact, in itself, is commendable. That says they all gave this topic a great deal of consideration before the final vote was taken. Let's use this moment to open a door of mutual cooperation between the City Council and the Board of Supervisors. While some may feel that this $5,000 was not nearly enough funding as it was far less than the city's requested amount, the important thing is that it allows the city an opportunity to achieve its desired outcome of their original request by now being able to apply for the grant. Hopefully this motion by Mr. Langreck will serve as an olive branch, that will allow the city and the county to move forward with more mutual cooperation, in the future. Both the city and the county win when we work together for the betterment of both entities. When Decorah does better the county does better, and when the county does better, the city of Decorah does better. Kirsten Olson, Decorah City Council Your voice matters—share your perspective with us and keep the conversation going!