Alana Kinzle encouraged Allen County commissioners Tuesday to add a memorial garden to the courthouse lawn.
“We’re always talking about having something to do downtown on the square, and all we have there are the Veterans Wall and the big clock,” she said. “We need more,” such as a place for people to enjoy and reflect.
The recommendation came as no surprise to Steve and Frances Kinzle, her parents. They’d told Alana, her mother said, “if the younger generation doesn’t get involved, who will?”
Alana, 24, told commissioners a flower garden, and maybe a fountain, would brighten up the square.
“Any specific ideas or photos?” asked Commissioner Tom Williams.
Alana said many such attractions exist throughout Kansas and other states, including one in Joplin that is “attractive and nice. It gives people peace just to sit there. It’s so serene.”
Debbie Bearden, who came to support Alana’s proposal, said more benches would be “a nice addition,” an idea that found favor with commissioners.
Alana was asked to flesh out her ideas.
“I’m going to be in Joplin (this week),” she told the Register early Tuesday afternoon. At the Feedlot, where she works with her parents, after visiting with commissioners, Alana spent some time jotting down ideas and sketching preliminary plans for a garden that would be close to the Veterans Wall and in support of it.
“I haven’t gotten much work out of her since she got back from the meeting,” said Steve Kinzle with an approving chuckle.
Donna Houser, somewhat removed age-wise from the younger generation but just as enthusiastic as Alana, asked commissioners to help with her current project, to improve the visitors dressing room at the football stadium in Riverside Park — so it isn’t an embarrassment each time teams arrive for a game and make every effort to avoid it.
“I don’t know if you can help (financially), but I’m not shy about coming to hit you up,” Houser said.
The Community Involvement Task Force and Pride-Iola have adopted a project to fix up the visitors area. A mess, Houser called it. “Toilet stalls aren’t handicap-accessible, there are holes in the (concrete) floor” and nothing about it says welcome to Iola.
Houser, aside from her dedication to making Iola and Allen County better places to live, has a personal motive in rehabilitating part of the stadium. Her late husband, Ray Houser, was Iola High’s football coach for years.
The goal is to raise $30,000. Monday night Houser handed $10,730 to the USD 257 school board, the first installment of fundraising.
Commissioners were sympathetic with Houser’s plea, but face a barrier in that they think it is inappropriate, maybe illegal, for the county to invest in a property owned by another governing body.
