Letter to the Editor: The democratic process worked in the Menards application

(The following Letter to the Editor has been submitted by Carol Hagen of Decorah):

"I think some may come away from reading recent articles concerning Menards with a wrong impression. Specifically regarding  local officials' address to an audience of Iowa city administrators at the Iowa City/County Management Association Summer Conference, held in Decorah last week: it seems the title of their presentation and their "take" on the development discussions with Menards, outlined in their presentation, "The One That Got Away," were mis-characterized.  I am not sure if that was due to the writer's interpretation for the article on decorahnews, or if the panel itself shared only a partial (albeit humble) viewpoint.

No doubt, the process of Menards' application was multi-layered and confusing at best.   But the crux of the matter was that the Planning and Zoning Committee, as a body, did its homework, conducted its hearings according to protocol, consulted the city's comprehensive plan, heeded the concerns of U of Iowa professionals, considered the big picture by highlighting options besides the one preferred by Menards, and listened to local citizens who cared enough to show up and speak their mind about things that affect our community.

In short, our City followed the rules, and conducted democracy, messy as it can be, in the manner intended.  The decision for Menards to withdraw their proposal was made by Menards, according to their own business planning and desire for growth.  That is their right.  And it is City officials' duty to do their jobs according to the rules and guidelines in place.

There is no one to blame here:  Menards had a right to make their application and case for building where they desired.  They also had a right to withdraw that application.  They may exercise their right to apply again in the future.  I hope they do, and I am glad the City continues to "court" them.

And our City officials and citizens did an exemplary job, in my opinion, through a complex series of steps where they were primarily looking out for the well being of Decorah.  The result was that the desire to preserve and protect our floodplain trumped Menard's timeline for development.  While not everyone may agree with the result, the process, followed carefully and correctly, gave rise to this outcome.

It wasn't at all that Menards "got away" through some slip-up on the part of our City officials, or our process (though some clarity for the future is probably in order).  The democratic process worked, and that usually is messy, and takes time."