Roni Dauer

We want to offer a big thank you to Roni Dauer for her 47 years of service with CER. Dauer’s commitment to the program and the people she worked with is a big part of what it means to be part of a thriving community. Dauer clearly enjoyed her work and while we’re sorry to see her go, she has earned a much-deserved retirement. We appreciate all that she has done. Thank you Roni.

FHS Alumni

What an amazing thing it is that FHS Alumni are willing to come back home and help tutor current students. One student, Dan Brummond said “I wanted to give back to what Fairmont Area Schools has given to me. They’ve given me the fundamentals to succeed, so I think it’s right to give back.” That’s a great attitude and it speaks to the character of all the Alumni who are putting in their time and effort with this kind of outreach.

Community Center

It is frustrating to watch the Fairmont City Council’s lack of action on the community center. The center committee has spent over four years researching options, studies have been done by independent firms, and plans were designed to meet the budget and desires of Fairmont’s citizens.

On top of that, the YMCA was found to manage the facility, land was provided by the Mayo Clinic and large donors helped reach the $6M the city asked to be raised to get $14M from the city. We hope the community center can move forward and that the council does not lose the YMCA, land, and large donors in the meantime.

Strategic Plan

We were happy to see the Fairmont City Council adopt a strategic plan this week. It’s a long-overdue decision. The plan will focus on maximizing community potential, cultivating a culture of trust and effective communication and collaborating, as well as enhancing and protecting community amenities and infrastructure.

However, one would have to question cultivating a culture of trust when looking at the council’s recent lack of action on the community center, as seen in the above thumb.

Unprofessional

Councilwoman Michele Miller displayed unprofessional and rude behavior at the council work session last Monday. She appeared to be ignoring YMCA director Dennis Dieser during his presentation, checking messages on her watch and rifling through paperwork. She also had a fit of laughter causing Dieser to stop and ask if there was a problem. We hope Miller has reached out to Mr. Dieser and apologized.