Small Crowd

THUMBS DOWN to the lack of attendance at a town hall meeting Wednesday to inform the public about the proposed $2.5 million fire station. The volunteer firefighters put on a very professional presentation. Unfortunately, if those associated with the fire department and candidates for the City Commission were not counted, the crowd would have amounted to no more than a handful. This is an important public safety issue that Yankton residents are being asked to approve a property-tax opt-out for, so we hope they have been gathering information elsewhere. A golden opportunity to get the scoop from the horse's mouth was missed Wednesday night.

Big Interest

On the other hand, THUMBS UP to the intense interest expressed during a Tuesday forum to discuss the future of some of the buildings on the Human Services Center campus. A crowd packed into the Technical Education Center for the event, which was sponsored by Preserve South Dakota. A Rapid City developer assured those present that the 11 buildings in question could be put to use if the community comes together behind the effort. The Yankton Historical Society is conducting a feasibility study in the hopes of using the Mead Building as a museum. What other dreams are out there in the community? Now is the time air them.

Nice Field

THUMBS UP to the large field of candidates for Yankton's City Commission election, set for April 8. With seven incumbents and hopefuls seeking three slots, there is a lot of talent from which to choose. What gets overlooked sometimes is the fact that some communities don't always have such large fields on the ballot. Indeed, you hear about a lot of uncontested elections in several communities; in fact, occasionally there are races in which nobody runs, and a replacement must be found and appointed. So, there seems to be a lot of civic interest here these days. Whether it's because of recent recall or the numerous issues the community faces (probably both), the interest is a healthy sign, to say the least.

Sticking With It

THUMBS UP to the donation of more than 360 pounds of beef sticks for approximately 400 South Dakota soldiers stationed in Iraq, Afghanistan and Kosovo. The Mark and Susan Geib family donated a steer from their DeSmet beef herd as a way to say thanks to the South Dakotans in harm's way. The South Dakota Beef Industry Council (SDBIC) paid for processing for the 1,500-pound animal with beef checkoff dollars. The South Dakota Air and Army National Guard will be transporting and distributing the beef sticks. Geib said he remembered the SDBIC's effort to send 2,700 pounds of beef jerky to troops in Iraq in 2004 and wanted to do the same thing on a smaller scale. The shipment may have been smaller, but the gesture was huge.