The building has sat for the last 30 years decaying before our very eyes while nobody lifted a hand to help restore the old building. Instead, it has been bought on the cheap and used by its past owners as a storage shed with no apparent thought given to restoring it so that it could remain a functional building. It became an eyesore surrounded by junk in its yard that should have gathered the attention of our city fathers who failed to enforce our laws against littering. If the city had put pressure on the owner to do something with the building perhaps it could have been saved.

It is not surprising that the Masonic Temple building has met the same fate as other Minonk landmarks. Among other landmarks that have disappeared are the Woodford Hotel, the Illinois Central and the Santa Fe train depots, both downtown grain elevators, the Westside Park bandstand, the Jumbo, etc. Each of these landmarks were unique and were a part of Minonk history. Efforts were supposedly made to preserve the old IC train depot.

Critics contend that each of these buildings were no longer safe or economically feasible to maintain. That may be true to an extent but too often buildings that appear to no longer serve any economic purpose are immediately determined to be unsafe or too costly to restore. It is so easy to just tear an old building down because then there is no more controversy over what to do with it. It's gone!

Perhaps it is time that we as a community try to change our mindset on preservation of buildings. I have lived in the east and I have traveled Europe. It is striking to see how many old buildings were preserved and still functional in these areas.

I always thought that preserving one of Minonk's old grain elevators could have been converted into a tourist attraction. Let's face it. Minonk is not going to be the headquarters of a computer software firm or the location for a Walmart (thank God). We will have to be innovative to survive and thrive as a community. And I repeat what I have said earlier. We must try to take advantage of Minonk's unique old architecture.

The city needs a vision for the future. We need a vision that goes beyond just reacting to advice from the Farnsworth Group. It is unfortunate that our vision is limited to reacting to problems like having to spend $400,000 on a new well. How come other cities like Minonk do not have to drill new wells? Do we really need a well or is that just the opinion of an engineer?

The city needs to be proactive on getting businesses into the empty buildings in Minonk. The bakery building on Oak Street remains empty a year after the Minonk Baking Company went out of business. The old Hewitt hardware store has remained empty for years. Wouldn't it be nice if the city could spend that $400,000 on buying up the vacant buildings in Minonk and then developing them to the point that they could be sold to someone who is willing to bring in a new business. Then the city is in control of its future rather than waiting for someone to come in and develop Minonk their way.

The city's economic development committee has not focused enough on the downtown area. They have yet to issue any standards on downtown building codes for remodeling. Now we have the Dollar General store being built with a building that looks like a warehouse with no windows. Can you imagine having the entire main street of Minonk lined with this type of building?

Years ago buildings were built by individuals who not only wanted to make money but also took pride in what their business looked like. Todays faceless corporations are more concerned with functionality than with building appearance. The city needs to quickly come up with some kind of standards so that Minonk can retain some of its old victorian charm.

On the other hand, many buildings have been saved. Former mayor Earl Anderson remodeled the old City Hall building on Fifth Street. Anderson and Joe Limbaugh restored the old Goodwin Brothers building at Fourth and Chestnut. Doc's sweet shop at Sixth and Chestnut has been a successful addition to the downtown businesses.

Most people know that I bought the old Odd Fellows building at the corner of Fifth and Walnut. I don't know exactly what I will do with it yet but I am in the process of restoring it because I feel it is a unique building that adds to the character and charm of old Minonk. It is time that the city of Minonk realizes that its future lies in preserving and restoring its old buildings so that the roof doesn't cave in on the rest of the buildings downtown.