Iolan decries grocery store aid

Allen County commissioners should not assist a Humboldt grocery if, as expected, they are asked to help purchase new refrigeration equipment, Iolan Ken Rowe contends.
His comments drew sharp responses at Tuesday’s County Commission meeting.

In a heated series of exchanges, former Iola Councilman Ken Rowe came before Allen County Commissioners to challenge the proposed partnership between Allen County and Our Hometown Market in Humboldt.

Rowe stated, “I hope [Scotty Welch] is able to open up a grocery store, and have a booming business … and that it just thrives. But that doesn’t make me believe that it’s a good idea to throw government money at it.”

Rowe discussed a previous committee that had been formed to evaluate proposed public-private partnerships, recalling that The Mildred Store and Bolling’s Meatery had previously been denied similar funding assistance.

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