Editor, Times-Union: In response to the Thompson's letter to the Editor regarding the "big empty dilapidated" Saemann building in downtown Mentone I would like to update the story and provide a little background information.
ÊSince 1996 the Bell Memorial Library has attempted to negotiate the purchase of the vacant Saemann building. The Franklin I. and Irene List Saemann Foundation has claimed that they have interested purchasers willing to pay $130,000 for the building. The Foundation states that they are willing to sell the building to the library for $75,000. That has been a firm price. The Foundation has not been willing to negotiate, nor discuss donating the building.
ÊLast week the library received an appraisal, paid for by the library, of the Saemann building. The value of the land, if vacant, was estimated to be $50,000. In the opinion of the appraiser the building is worthless and will have to be demolished. The cost of removing the building is estimated to be $80,000. This leaves the value of the site a negative $30,000.
ÊI am still optimistic that something can be worked outÊthat will be beneficial to both the community and the Foundation.
ÊOn Monday evening I asked the Mentone Town Council members to visualize what the impact on the community would be to have the vacate building gone ... and the new library located on a main street. I asked them to consider what the benefit would be to the residents needing day care, or business and industry needingÊday careÊfor their employees. I asked them to consider what the benefit would be toÊsenior citizens having a facility they could use anytime they wanted. I asked them to consider the benefit to the downtown businesses having additional parking available.
ÊIn return I asked the Council to talk to residents in an attempt to determine the support for purchasing the Saemann Building and having a new library, day care and senior citizens center downtown.
ÊYes, there will be a financial investment by the town, butÊeven if the building has to be purchased for $75,000, how much is it worth to the community to rid themselves forever of the Saemann eyesore?Ê
Robert P. Murphy Grant consultant via e-mail
Meijer Location
Editor, Times-Union: There have been a number of Letters to the Editor for and against the placement of a Meijer store in Warsaw.
All of those for the store at Parker and Husky Trail, I'd like to know how many of those people use that intersection? I live a few miles north of there and at times traffic is backed up on Husky Trail and Patterson Road. These people are trying to get on 30 or cross to go either on Parker or DuBois or the BP Station.
They say they can fix the traffic flow by moving the roads. Those roads were put there when 30 became four lanes. I think if it could have been made better it would have been done then. Now some are going to say all of the additions were not there but some were already in the planning stage.
Also there are three businesses on that corner, one is right where Meijer wants to build.
I'm not saying Meijer can't come or would not be welcome here, but there has to be a better place for them to build.
Patty Robinson Warsaw
Gas Perspective
Editor, Times-Union: Before WWII, I worked at the Schult Trailer Factory in Elkhart. I was getting 50 cents an hour, which was good pay at that time. I could buy gasoline at seven gallons for a $1, which was about 15 cents a gallon. I could also buy three candy bars for 15 cents or 5 cents each. I had to work for two hours to earn the $1 to buy my seven gallons of gas.
Today three candy bars will cost me $1.50 or 50 cents each. Today seven gallons of gas at $1.50 would come to $10.50, but with an hourly rate of pay at $10 to $15, it would take about one hour of work, or less, to buy seven gallons of gas. The price of gas is now above $1.50. Before WWII, I had to work for two hours to buy seven gallons of gas, now it takes about one hour of work, or less, to buy seven gallons of gas.
Would I like to see gas come down in price? Of course I would, but percentage-wise it isn't as bad as it looks.
Wallace W. Huffman Warsaw
World War II Memorial
Editor, Times-Union: Isn't it about time that we all write to our senators and our reps about finalizing preparation for erecting a World War II memorial, or is it too far down in our history to regard it as being no longer important?
I am a WWII combat infantry vet. I was drafted a few weeks after my high school graduation. On May 10th, 1944, I was wearing an army uniform. A few months later, nearing Christmas time, I was given a free trip on a troopship that landed in Marseilles, France. Soon after, we were on daily combat patrols. I was "A" company's only bazookaman, a 19-year-old "man" by now.
Recently my new son-in-law gave me a surprise present of a box of 10 movies on the happenings of World War II. I could only force myself to see one 40-minute film. The memories were too much for me to relive this kind of stuff we young kids had to be in, do their job and try to survive.
Bill Clinton and many of our older politicians managed to become 4-F people and thus never had to go into combat; "Draft Dodgers."
Yes, you can still see the scar on my right thigh from a wound received by artillery shrapnel.
Why cannot most of you fellow Americans write to your two senators and your local (Indiana) Washington, D.C., representatives, and demand that they spend some of the surplus monies and erect a suitable monument with our WWII veterans' names on it, like they already have for Korea and Vietnam vets.
Yes, I do have a Purple Heart and two C2 bronze stars. No, I am not a hero, I just did my job.
