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Mayo closing Lutz Wing
Mayo Clinic Health System in Fairmont is closing the Lutz Wing nursing home. We're sure this does not sit well with everyone in town, but we believe the 24 Lutz Wing residents will be able to find the care they need, at places such as Lakeview Methodist Health Care Center, which is involved in the transition.
There will be job losses at Lutz Wing, and these are never pleasant. There will be those who believe Mayo has let down the community. But in the end, the change is happening. We do not believe it has to be a negative one overall.
What's worth the cost?
A consultant this week informed the Fairmont City Council that a major revamping of City Code would be an incredibly complex and expensive endeavor.
Even tackling just a portion of the code, such as zoning, is not easy or cheap. Christopher Hood of Flaherty & Hood of St. Paul says Winona recently re-did its zoning code, at a cost of $100,000.
What cities routinely do to get their code in order -- as Fairmont recently did on a zoning matter -- is to pass amendments and leave it at that. Sounds reasonable.
Blue Earth weighs tax
The city of Blue Earth is just getting started as it considers a possible local option sales tax. We do not view this as anything wild or out of the ordinary for the city, which has shown it is fiscally responsible and well-managed.
Blue Earth may consider a half-cent sales tax. We hope local residents will weigh in with their elected officials, to talk about whether the tax is needed and what it would be used for. Certainly, if the extra money went to services like street maintenance, this would serve the community well into the future.
Church, school rebound
The good people of St. James Lutheran Church and School in Northrop deserve a break, to say the least. But their resilience is shining through as work continues on their new church and as improvements take place at the school.
The church was destroyed by a fire on March 30, 2016, and it has been a long process to rebuild.
In a separate matter, the church was devastated by the filing of charges against its pastor, who is no longer serving there. The search is on for a new minister who can earn the trust and respect of the congregation.
We wish St. James the very best as it moves forward.