The second event is much more difficult to reflect on. Senator Gary Kubly passed away on Friday, March 2, after suffering from ALS. Gary was first diagnosed in summer 2010 and lived his final years with grace and dignity. I knew Gary from my work at the library and personally. He was an inspiration to me. He was a politician who represented all his constituents. He was an advocate for rural issues and was easy to talk. The Capital was a better place with his presence and he will be missed. I will miss his common sense and down-to-earth attitude, but mostly I will miss him because he was just one of the good guys. My prayers to his family.
Sunday, March 4, 2012
Library paid off
Two
events happened this week that illustrated my connectedness with Olivia. The first was a positive one. At the February 27, 2012 Olivia City Council
meeting the last payment was made for the library. 15 years of payments for that beautiful
building and it is now owned by the city.
That building was opened in 1997.
It was renovated and expanded primarily because a grant was available
for $235,000 from the federal government administered through the state. It was an ADA (Americans with Disabilities
Act) loan. The following year that loan
program was capped at $50,000 per library.
It was through a lot of hard work we were able to bring that loan
program to Olivia with the renovated and expanded library building the
result. I am truly pleased I was able to
participate in the final payment of that building for the people of Olivia and
Renville County.
I
believe that building illustrates our commitment to the future of our learning,
our city, our county, and our citizens.
A community that builds whether it is a library or a school or
infrastructure shows it is forward thinking and believes in its own future and
its children’s future. I am so honored
to be mayor of such a community.
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