Dear editor,
A few weeks ago after the Iola Planning Commission decided not to rezone the old Arkhaven nursing facility I went up there and drove around all the buildings and came to this conclusion: The buildings are all brick and appear in good shape on the outside. On one building, there are a few bricks that need some repair but that should be easy.
When I was there a young man pulled up into the parking area on the south side and began to work on his car. There were several cars needing attention on the south side of the street.
The man who wants to renovate the building into apartments should be welcomed with open arms. This is the answer to our prayers. He will put a new roof on all of the buildings. He plans to remodel the insides and install all new plumbing and electricity.
Each apartment will have an outside door to their parking. There will be no inside hallways like motels. Some will be one bedroom and some two bedrooms. No doubt each will have a living room, kitchen and separate meters.
There is a real need in Iola for decent housing. The jobs are here. Russell Stover can hire more than one hundred right now. There are jobs at Gates and maybe Peerless.
You can drive all over Iola and see places that really need to be torn down but Arkhaven isn’t one of them.
On Facebook a few weeks ago some of the neighbors near Arkhaven were complaining. There are always a few who are determined to throw a monkey wrench into someone else’s plans for improvement.
I do not understand why when opportunity knocks, the city will not open the door and welcome new people. Someone mentioned traffic. Traffic. Give me a break.
But if it is so bad, build a road to the west to connect with State Street.
Remember when Dave Yokum sold his funeral home to Reuben Feuerborn and he bought and remodeled the church east of Iola? People griped about the traffic, and how pulling out onto the highway would be so dangerous and cause accidents.
That has not occurred. And the funeral home is a lovely addition to Iola.
Thrive has done wonders for Iola and several small towns in Allen County. And their economic development director knows what he is doing by helping people see that Iola is a great place to do business.
Some people just like to grumble.
I have lived in Allen County since 1944 and grew up in Moran and have owned land in Allen County since 1955.
