Supervisors hear testimony from people opposed to the demolition of the Wellington Place North Building

A crowd of 15 to 20 people attended a public hearing Monday on the future of the North Building at Wellington Place.  Winneshiek County supervisors voted two weeks ago to tear down the building.

Freeport resident Kevin Lee presented a petition with 25 signatures calling for a halt to the demolition.  Lee said the building could be mothballed while supporters worked to line up funding for preserving the building.  Lee said the building provides "a sense of place, a sense of history" for Freeport residents.

Winneshiek County resident Tom Hanson told supervisors he supports the demolition, saying it was "sad to see," but necessary.  Hanson said Winneshiek County has 75 bridges that have been declared structurally deficient--and he would rather see county taxes used to repair the bridges.

Decorah resident Kyrl Henderson questioned whether county supervisors had done a complete study of the building.  "The process has been inadequate.

Winneshiek County supervisor Dean Thompson, who was the lone dissenting vote when the county board voted two weeks ago, said he needs to be responsible to county taxpayers, noting, "You can't save everything."