First of all, the decision on the well placement was not even on the agenda which meant that those people who had an interest in the subject were not present. Nor were citizens informed before hand of the possible locations of the well that would allow them to voice their opinion to their alderman. From now on, Minonk Talk will be publishing the agendas on this website before the council meetings to give citizens a chance to talk to their alderman before they meet. In addition, councilperson Kathy McKay was absent at the session. A vote of this importance requires that all councilpersons be in attendance.

Secondly, there was not enough information available to allow a competent decision to be made on all of the sites. The first site was a strip of land on the south side of West Fourth Street between Johnson and Washington Streets. The owner of that land, Gene Cunningham, agreed to sell the land to the city if the city would agree to put in a road into the field that he farms behind the land. This was the most expensive site but it would have been the best site since it would not only be a suitable site for the well but it also allows residential development to take place on the farmland behind the site.

The second site was the southwest corner lot at Fifth and Jefferson. However, this was not even a viable alternative since the owner of the lot was not even contacted on what it would cost to purchase the lot. It is not a good idea to publicly decide to buy a lot and then approach the owner and ask him how much he wants.

That leaves the third site on the list which is the southwest corner of the Westside Park. Alderman Bill Koos led the charge on the park by declaring that the park site is the cheapest to develop and since the city is on hard times it is necessary to conserve and go with the park site. Koos also stated that with the future development of Suttons Park along North Chestnut in conjunction with plans by the New Millenium Community Center Committee that the city should devote its recreational dollars to that project. It is interesting to note that Suttons Park is in his ward while the Westside Park is not.

Also chiming in on the discussion was Public Works Supervisor Charlie McGuire and city employee Jim Brown who both voiced their opposition to the West Fourth Street site because it would cost more to run water lines and utilities to that site.

The final affront was when councilmen Matt Fink and Sherry Stalter, who are both on the Westside Park Pavilion Committee, voted with Koos in putting the well site in the park. Only Alderman Dean Barth voted against putting the well in the park.

Also, trees will have to be removed to allow the well to be dug. The park needs more trees. It can't afford to lose them. In addition, an unsightly mound of dirt will be tunneled right through the park for the water line.

Finally, I and my fellow citizens have been trying for 13 years to replace the torn down bandstand with a pavilion. The addition of the well not only makes the park less attractive it may even jeopardize the location of the pavilion.

The cost of digging the well is around $400,000. Adding an additional $50,000 to the price to put in a street at the West Fourth Street site will not make the project that much more prohibitive since a bond will have to be issued in order to pay for the project anyway. Alderman Koos mentioned a few sessions ago that the city needs to develop a plan for the future. I suggest now is an excellent time to start planning by putting the well at the West Fourth Street site so that farmland can be opened up for residential development. The payback from that will much more than the cost savings of putting the well in the Westside Park.

What bothers me about this situation is that I feel that some of the councilpersons are voting out of personal considerations rather than voting for the betterment of the community as a whole. Many people have told me that the Westside Park has been shortchanged by the city at the expense of Veterans Park where new tennis courts have been put in and new playground equipment is to be installed. The Westside Park is the premier park in Minonk. It is used much more by young people than Veterans Park. It has mature trees whereas Veterans Park is barren by comparison. It is a shame that the city hasn't planted a tree in the Westside Park in the last 30 years. I have personally planted eight trees in that park and to my knowledge they are the only ones planted. The Westside Park deserves better attention. Many of us remember when the park was covered with the graceful arches of American Elm trees. Fourth of July celebrations, reunions, etc. were held at the park for over 100 years. Unfortunately, only Alderman Barth remembers those days. The remaining councilpersons either were too young or didn't grow up in Minonk to remember when the Westside Park was the scene of many happy memories.

I am appealing to the residents of Minonk who are against putting the new well in the Westside Park to contact their alderman and let them know about your concerns. I also urge residents to attend the next city council session on October 15 at 7:00 p.m. to express their opposition to putting the new well in the park. Those in Ward 1 should contact Kathy McKay at 432-2605 or Matt Fink at 432-2570. Those in Ward 3 should contact Bill Koos at 432-2318 or Sherry Stalter at 432-2165. It is time we came to the rescue of the Westside Park and restore it to its original glory.