Minonk is fortunate in having a large parking lot downtown for its businesses. To give up this parking space is not a sound business decision. If Minonk is to grow it will need to have this parking lot for future business expansion. The developer of the Dollar General Store wants the front of the proposed 60 X 120 foot store to face west along the berm of the parking lot. City admininstrator Trent Smith indicated that other stores may be built north of the Dollar General Store if everything goes well.

In its haste to expedite the project the city has already transplanted 4 trees from the traffic island at the north end of the parking lot. These trees were planted as a memorial to Florence Uphoff by her family 7 years ago in full agreement with the city council. I want to emphasize that I am not opposing the Dollar General Store being built in the parking lot because it would require removing trees planted in my mother's memory. I am against it because it is pure and simply a bad decision.

To make the decision even worse, the council gave the property to Dollar General rather than selling them the land. Commercial space should be sold for at least a dollar a square foot. How do you think Minonk native Rick Uftring feels when he has to pay for his land out at the Caroline Development for this automotive business while an outside developer comes in and gets land free?

In addition, I heard reports that the developer gave the city an ultimatum and that he needed a decision right away. When somebody tells me that, I run the other way. Business decisions should never be made under duress.

The final affront is that the city council again made a decision on an item that was not on the agenda. Rather, the council went into executive session with the developer and then went back into its normal session after everyone had gone home, including the press, and passed the motion to give the developer the parking lot. I don't know if it was legal, but it sure was sneaky.

The developer has indicated that Dollar General wants to build a new store rather than move into an existing building. Supposedly, the city tried to buy the building that housed the Greentree Pharmacy at the northeast end of the block but the asking price was too high. However, there is a parking lot south of that building that runs for about 200 feet that could be used for building the new store. The building could face Fifth Street along Oak Street and parking would be available in the present city parking lot. I would think even the developer would find this plan more acceptable.

The city has other options to explore before allowing the store to be built in the city parking lot. The northwest corner of Oak and Fifth Street could perhaps be bought. There are other open areas owned by the city that could be used for development such as the area north of the OSF medical building. However, I still feel the best plan is to approach the party that is leasing the property south of the Greentree Pharmacy with an offer. A lawyer and a real estate agent should be involved in the negotiations rather than sending a councilman to do the job.

I wish to emphasize that I and the rest of the community wish to see Dollar General build a store in Minonk. Everyone is for progress. But it must be controlled progress. The city council needs to develop a plan for the future expansion of Minonk's commercial district so that we can tell the developers what options are available rather than the developer dictating to the city its plans. If the city had developed a plan and set architectural standards twenty years we could have avoided an eyesore like the current IGA store. The city must capitalize on the quaintness of the older buildings downtown and ensure that future businesses will conform to certain standards.

The city council does not seem to understand how much of an asset that the city parking lot is to Minonk. They also do not seem to understand the feelings and the sentiment of the community. It makes you wonder who they really are representing when they make very significant decisions that are not even on the agenda and have no public input whatsoever. I cannot find one person who agrees with the council's decision.

What really rankles me is the arrogance the council is displaying by making critical decisions on Minonk's future on the spur of the moment. I find it incredulous that they would listen to a developer's pitch and then make a decision immediately without any consultation whatsoever with their constiuents or without any thought at all! Minonk is on the verge of new growth and it needs to plan for this growth rather than reacting to everything that comes along.

I urge those of you who wish to prevent the city council from allowing Dollar General to build a store in the city parking lot to contact their councilperson. The only way the decision can be reversed is through public pressure.