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Readers’ Views

Years of hard work now erased To the Editor: In a matter of minutes, COUNCILORS MILLER, HASEK & PETERS erase YEARS of HARD work, COMMUNITY SUPPORT and THE CITY’S commitment to a new community center. For years, the Fairmont community has desired, discussed, and made plans for a new community center. The latest effort included the components required to finally make it happen: a City commitment of $14 million, private donations totaling $6 million, the YMCA as an operating partner, a shared goal for a new ice arena, hired experts to assist with applying for state and federal funds, ...

Readers’ Views

Help us with Toys for Tots this year To the Editor: The Toys for Tots program is 75-years-old this year. This is the first year this program has ever distributed toys to the Fairmont area. The Fairmont VFW, American Legion and Martin County Veterans Memorial Committee are sponsoring this Marine Corps Reserve endeavor. When I volunteered to help coordinate this project, I did not realize how great the need is in our community. To date we have 275 children signed up but have only collected 264 toys and $1,125.24. All monies collected will be spent on the children. Time is of the ...

Readers’ Views

Close-mindedness creates division To the Editor: Opportunities for progress and moving forward could have taken place a long time ago if proponents of a recreation center would have come alongside Martin County. Instead, the Fairmont Area Community Center Foundation (FACCF), the Community Center Advisory Board (CCAB), 1590 organizers, and Mayo Clinic have stubbornly dug in their heels creating division when the majority of citizens would much rather have found a way to compromise. Consider this: City council members in favor of this huge expense were voted off, during two different ...

Readers’ Views

This is all common sense To the Editor: The Sentinel printed several letters to the editor in the last few days, some written by former residents now attending college, who are in support of the proposed community center. They have fond memories of growing up in Fairmont and are deciding whether they want to return. Fairmont is a wonderful city with its lakes, trails, organizations, and churches. The city leaders need to focus on new businesses to bring higher paying jobs and to create more housing. This will be a reason for people to return and raise their families. Fairmont also ...

Readers’ Views

Fellow citizens of Fairmont To the Editor: I had the opportunity to speak at the Fairmont City Council meeting on Monday, Nov. 14th regarding my position on the community center. I contemplated on republishing the entirety of that speech but I have decided to give highlights as I feel some of the pointed words at the city council were heard by who needed to hear them and to continue the use of disparaging words only takes me down to that level where so many people are trying to fight this project. The time to start healing is now. Here are three points made in opposition of the ...

Readers’ Views

Publicly fund child care To the Editor: The childcare system in Minnesota needs and deserves public funding and the new MN legislature has the opportunity to make this a reality. Every family deserves access to affordable childcare and childcare teachers deserve to earn wages on par with K-12 educators. Children’s brains grow to 80 percent of their adult size in the first five years of life. We need to transform how we do childcare so that we can make sure those brains are getting everything they need to grow into contributing members of our communities. We’re counting on the new ...