Dear editor,
Since I moved from Chanute in the year 2000, I have seen several businesses move out: KFC, Burger King, Ken’s Pizza, Country Mart and an Italian restaurant.
What else will we see close down or move away?
Our city administrator seems to disagree about new business coming to town.
Praise should go to David Toland and all that he has done concerning the G&W Grocery.
I was sad to see the headlines in Wednesday’s paper. Come on Mr. Administrator, we need G&W in town. We need more than one store to buy groceries from.
I guess we could go 20 miles to Chanute and shop at Save-A-Lot or G&W there.
David E. Hill
Iola, Kan.
Dear editor,
It certainly takes a village to keep the village afloat!
I would like to publicly thank Iola Industries, David Toland, Thrive Allen County, and our elected county commissioners and city council for their many thousands of hours in serving our community.
It takes a great deal of time, effort and dedication to keep our community moving forward. The city council and mayor, both unpaid positions, and the county commissioners are continually walking a tightrope of being good stewards of the money available, staying within a budget and raising revenue when necessary.
Iola Industries has been responsible for the initiative and follow-through of almost all of the industry that has come to Iola in the past 61 years. It is an amazing record of dedication to bring to Iola thousands of jobs. Those are jobs that didn’t just show up at our door. Members of Iola Industries have been the force that made those jobs come to fruition. Without their successful efforts at economic development, Iola would be a dusty, wide spot in the road. No one on the Iola Industries board receives any financial reimbursement for their efforts.
David Toland and Thrive have had an amazing positive impact on our community. For the city to invest $20,000 a year for economic development is a drop in the bucket for even one of the numerous successful endeavors and hundreds of thousands of dollars that David Toland and Thrive have brought to Iola and neighboring towns.
I am continually in awe of these outstanding members of our community and their effort for the good of Iola and potential for success for the future.
Mary Ann Arnott,
Iola, Kan.
Dear editor,
Late last summer as I was first considering a call to become the pastor of First Presbyterian Church of Iola, I started doing my homework on this community. I was impressed by the progressive spirit of cooperation I saw evident in all that I read about this fair city on the Internet: City of Iola, Allen County, Iola Public Library, Allen County Community College, Allen County Regional Hospital, Bowlus Fine Arts Center, Thrive, Iola Register. Everything I saw described the kind of community my husband and I knew we wanted to be a part of.
Even before we moved here, we experienced the warmth and hospitality of Iola when we came for a visit. We moved into the manse on November 12, and from that time on, we have been delighted at every turn with the can-do spirit of the leaders in this community who keep working together for the good of all.
If you have never lived outside Iola, you may not realize what a gem of place Iola is – a little city with a big heart.
