Reader comment on the public hearing on the Wellington Place North Building

In regard to the "Public Hearing for the North Building" held Monday, January 28th in the basement of the Decorah Public Library, all of those ideas expressed may be sound.  I only have second hand information as I was on duty at Aase Haugen Homes.

To those who think the building has met the end of its useful lifespan, your idea is to tear it down.  Maybe it is in the prime of its life, who knows?

To those who think the building is unsafe and a fire hazard, please just fix the sprinklers and mothball our county historic resource.  Build a firewall if you must, and ask all interested parties to find the appropriate compatible reuse. The Trail From Freeport is about to be built for safety reasons, with forward thinking, connecting downtown Decorah and much more of the county by our Trails of Winneshiek.  Freeport to the Fish Hatchery, to Calmar, to campus (NICC or Luther) toward Cresco and beyond!      

John Logsdon referred to his lengthy conversation Sunday with Ms. Bishop at the Commission's Public Hearing on Monday night.  He and I find common ground in many ways.  He said he is a guy who lives by up and down voting every few years and indeed, every week at the Monday Board of Supervisor's meeting.  We both are super irritated by people who won't vote.  I may live by my skills in the healthcare field, but I know we both want the best for Winneshiek County residents.

I believe the best for Winneshiek County is to reuse historic buildings intact, responsibly renovated of course.    

John and my conversation got lengthy partly due to the fact that I was talking about the barn full of East Side School wood that could be a springboard for a Winneshiek County salvage lumber furniture making business.  Many people have talked many years about the need for construction materials recycling in Winneshiek County.

National Trust for Historic Preservation president said the retention and reuse of older buildings is an effective tool for responsible, sustainable stewardship of our environmental resources. "The biggest green market for architects (and related job creation) is fixing what we have."

We definitely need to talk about the rational plan to put in place for a process of reducing waste of all kinds and bestowing value on all of our oldest resources in our county.  We can recognize treasures that connect us to our past, and use resources wisely. Another truism is that most great accomplishments at first seem impossible."