Letter To the Editor: In response to Mayors Memo 7/27/2011

I was disappointed when reading the Mayor’s Memo from 7/27/2011 that Mayor Tjosaas chose to use his Memo space to, as I read it, attack the KARE organization. There are many great things going on around the town of Kasson. I feel that the Mayor’s Memo column should be informative for the residents of Kasson as well as impartial. If Mayor Tjosaas felt the need to personally defend himself, I feel a letter to the editor would have been much more appropriate.

I too have my own opinion regarding the reuse of the former Kasson elementary school. I have faithfully been following both sides of the issue; and in my estimation, it is a stately and extremely usable and useful building. One well worth saving.

I feel that in our society we are very quick to do away with anything “old”. I would love to see our community show pride in that building. I would love for our community to show our young citizens that just because something is old does not mean that it is useless. Many young people, certainly not all, are not being taught the value of doing with what you have. They are not being taught the value of “older is wiser”. This is true in many areas; buildings, literature, music, letter writing, titles (Mr. and Mrs.), etc. We want our children to respect their elders, but instead we show them that things that are old (elem. school) even if they are still useful are not necessary. A little elbow grease could make it good are new, but wouldn’t you like to have something brand new instead? Hello landfill, next stop Walmart.
Will saving the school cost more for the tax payer in the long run? I’m not sure. I feel the building will have many more money generating options than a single building built specifically for a library. I also have other reservations with a library specific building. With technology advancing at such a rapid pace (ex: the NOOK), will the public library be as much of an asset to a town in the future as it is today? I certainly hope that it will continue to be. My kids and I certainly enjoy using it. But with budget cuts and advancing technology, the question begs to be asked. What will the town do with a library specific building that may need to be downsized due to budget cuts? I am not being insensitive. I am being practical.

One last thing I would like to comment on in regards to the Mayor’s Memo: Mayor Tjosaas pointed out that he offered KARE half ownership in the building and all they would be responsible for was raising half of the remodeling expense. I feel that asking and expecting a citizens group to come up with 4 million dollars is not only outrageous but also intentionally setting them up for failure. Is the citizens group that is looking into the new swimming/aquatic center for Kasson going to be asked to fund half of the cost for the project?

I do not want to see this issue divide our town. I am proud to call Kasson my hometown. I want to see it survive and prosper. I want to see Main Street alive and utilized by its citizens. I want to see life come back to that beautiful “old” elementary school building.

Erica Gillis