[ Contents | Posting form | Next | Previous | Up ]
Name: Helen D. Gunderson
Category: Former Rolfe student
Year: 1963
Contact: gunderson@globalccs.net
Remote Name: 207.199.197.31
Date: February 14, 2006
Time: 07:06 PM
Thanks for priming the pump with your ideas, Mike.
There were various business owners from Rolfe and about the county at the school board meeting last night. They seemed to think they could make viable use of the school facilities. I believe the best idea is to have a lot of brainstorming, perhaps even for the town or RBI to hire a facilitator to run some town hall types of meetings to process ideas. But the main reason I am responding is to note the fact that Pocahontas now has a bustling (albeit too noisy for my ears) bowling alley and restaurant in the building on Main Street in Poky that housed the Ben Franklin store until recent years.
The bowling alley is a relatively new business. I had not been there prior to last night when my sister-in-law, Gloria Gunderson, who is on the Rolfe city council, and I went to the bowling alley with Mayor George Tuttle of Poky for a bite to eat and conversation after the school board meeting. It's a neat place (well-designed and great staff) except for the loud noise and (in my eyes) limited menu. But wow, who could have imagined such a thriving place in the Ben Franklin building that stood idle for awhile? Last night, the place seemed to be the social hub of the evening with plenty of men hanging out there for their bowling leagues. (Another great thing is that there was no cigarette or cigar smoke.) It seems that with some vision, community planning, hard work, and luck that Rolfe come could up with uses for the gym and rest of the east wing of the school that are as viable and otherwise good for the Rolfe community as that bowling alley is for Poky.
And changing the subject slightly, George thinks it would be awesome for Rolfe to have a bio-diesel plant. He says the town is an ideal place for such a plant, considering that Rolfe still has its railroad tracks (something that Poky doesn't have), and Rolfe has a natural gas pipeline that runs nearby.
Here's a wild idea. Maybe current and former Rolfe loyalists could INVEST in a bio-diesel plant that would give them a RETURN on their money, improve the town (and the county's) economy, and hire workers who would live in Rolfe. AND part of the returns on the plant would go toward paying maintenance costs of a rec center. By the way, George also says that Poky is planning to have one of its garbage trucks run on bio-diesel and that Poky is planning to grow some Canola oil.
So let the games begin. Er, what I mean is, let the creative process begin. That could include advertising locally and as far and wide about the school facilities being available, holding the town hall types of planning sessions that I mentioned earlier, shaping a community vision, putting the legs on that vision, and going for it through many avenues such as private investment, community support, and grants.
Well, again, enough said. Good night.