Job well done on Hwy. 1Congratulations to the Iowa Department of Transportation and the contractors who have been working on Highway 1 between Mount Vernon and Highway 151. The work was completed much earlier than expected.
For most of the people traveling on this stretch of the road it may not have been apparent how desperately this project was needed. Those of us who travel in slow-moving vehicles (farm equipment) know that the culverts had broken down and reduced the shoulder width to complete void.
For the safety of all traffic, we now have a much-improved road. Thank you again for a job well done.
Dan Lambertsen
Martelle
Upset over handouts
for area businesses
Mount Vernon tax payers. Once again, the City has doled out 50,000.00 in tax dollars to help support someone with plenty of their own money that requested a hand out for an uptown business property. The property in question is the First-on-First building (formerly the Sing a long bar). Said 50k was to help remove the dilapidated building to the south end of the property. This property was bought for $200k (Sing-a-long bar and the separate parcel comprising the building behind it) according to Linn County Assessors Records, and taxpayers contributed $50,000. Now the new owners are trying to sell the bare ground where the dilapidated building sat for $129,000.00
I am sure they will reimburse the City and us taxpayers the $50,000 at closing.
Tired of handouts for businesses. Tired of supporting everyone’s feel good cause. Tired of tax dollars being wasted, period. If you want to buy, fix up and resell a building, fine. Write the check. If you want to support some cause, fine, write the check. But quit coming to the pool of tax dollars to fund your wish lists…
Keith Huebner
Mount Vernon
Show appreciation
for teachers As the new school year begins I share what my 9-year-old grandson Ben told me last week: “Teachers should be paid more because they are so important. They shape the minds of the future.” Out of themouths of babes . . .
Sadly, we must wait another year to elect legislators who can make that pay raise happen for public school teachers, but for now we can let our teachers know that they are appreciated. We can acknowledge them as professionals and encourage them in the challenging and important work they do– as they “shape the minds of the future.”
Wishing all teachers and other school personnel a great new year,
Arlie Willems
Mount Vernon
Letters to editor August. 17
August 17, 2023