Winneshiek County supervisors reject Caretakers House Coalition request for the fourth time

A request to the Winneshiek County Board from the Caretakers House Coalition that the county-owned Caretaker's House be preserved has been denied for the fourth time.

Caretakers House Coalition spokesperson Debora Bishop on Monday asked supervisors to reconsider tearing down the building.  The house is scheduled to be used next week for an NICC class on environmentally sound demolition.  

Bishop's group instead proposed that the county hire a gardener to live in the house and grow vegetables that could be used by Wellington Place.

But in response to questions, Bishop admitted she had no contract with the Pepperfield Project or any other group to handle the proposed garden at Wellington Place.  She also admitted that the Caretakers House Coalition did not have a contract with the Oneota Historic Future Alliance—which has the contract to remove the building.

That persuaded supervisors Les Askelson, John Logsdon and Steve Bouska to vote against reconsidering the county board's decision to have the building removed, although Lonnie Pierce and Bill Ibanez thought the idea had merit.