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Letter to the Editor: Brodhead should reconsider use of grant funds
newspaper

From Dave Searles

Brodhead 

To the editor: 

The City of Brodhead has received a federal grant of $500,000. Instead of improving the infrastructure of Brodhead that includes such things as the sidewalks, storm sewer system, streets and repair of the swimming pool, the mayor and city council want to waste it on the Pinnow Boondoggle by purchasing the old white elephant fitness center on the south side of town and turning it into what they call the “Senior-Community Center.” 

This is despite the fact that a majority of the citizens of Brodhead are opposed to the Pinnow Boondoggle. From what I understand, the seniors would rather stay in the Putnam Building rather than move to the Pinnow Boondoggle. I am aware that we need a larger meeting place in Brodhead. The old Brodhead Public School that a group is presently rehabbing will include “a banquet facility” that will meet this need. Therefore, the Pinnow Boondoggle is unnecessary and will just be a property tax burden that the city cannot afford. 

Last month, the city (mayor and city council) had some outfit blacktop sections of a number of streets in Brodhead that were in bad shape. Just when we thought they were finally doing the right thing after the city’s infrastructure, particularly in this case since the streets became an issue during the spring election. They then this month had some outfit come in and oil and pea gravel over those new sections of blacktop. Why? It makes no sense. Half of the pea gravel will end up in the storm sewer of those streets, if they have storm sewers. Then workers from the Public Works Department will spend half of next summer vacuuming the pea gravel out of those storm sewers. It is no wonder that they have such a bad reputation when it comes to the city’s infrastructure. The money wasted on oiling and pea graveling would have been better spent on more blacktopping. 

The mayor and city council must meet and work with the group rehabbing the old Brodhead Public School and use this infrastructure grant on sidewalks, the storm sewer system, streets, and repair of the swimming pool.