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No more community center, no more special Tax To the Editor: The recent decision by the Fairmont City Council to scrap plans for a community center is, at best, short-sighted. The city council cites “big expenses” coming up in the city’s future. Were these expenses not considered when they committed to the community center in the first place? There will ALWAYS be big expenditures. So much of FACC’s efforts were completed because they believed that the city stood solidly behind them. The city’s inability to appropriately plan for long-term budgeting and expenditures, prior to ...

Readers' Views

Letters to the Editor

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, ...

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Letters to the Editor

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

Letters to the Editor

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 ...

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Local Editorials

Fairmont Schools honors teacher Congratulations to Fairmont High School’s Spanish teacher, Melinda Stewart, who has been named this school year’s teacher of the year. Thank you, Melinda, for your continued efforts in educating and empowering our young people and showing them the value of different views and diversity. Program adds childcare providers The Prosper Project, a program funded by the Schmeeckle Foundation, has added three new in-home childcare providers over the past few months. The program also launched a substitute program to help existing providers when they need a ...

Readers' Views

Letters to the Editor

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 ...