A Pulitzer Prize-winning newspaper
Dear Mr. Cullen,
I am responding to your editorial in the Wednesday, May 22, 2024, Storm Lake Times Pilot entitled, “Who blowed up the boiler, dude?”
First of all and foremost, the fact is the boiler at the former Alta High School building did not blow up! Your paper has written several articles saying the boiler blew up and that leads people to thinking that the damage to the former Alta High School building was caused by a malfunctioning boiler which caused it to blow up. This is simply not a true fact! Note: (If the boiler would have blown up, there would have been more damage to the building and to the boiler than water damage!) And the boiler would not have been able to be used after it blew up!
Second fact from your editorial is that a new boiler would NOT have been needed at this point in time, it perhaps only needed to be completely re-tubed last summer instead of only minimal replacement of water tubes?
Third fact from your editorial, has the A-A board and administration really given the true facts for the damage done at the Former Alta High School Building? The true fact is they have only given the answer to questions asked of them as “unreasonable, ridiculous and petty.”
Fourth fact from your editorial: Yes the boiler was inspected and did not pass inspection. Repairs were made enough to pass inspection last summer. (Note: This was the mistake made from public records that was not clear at the time of a flyer going out to the public.) Apologies were made to the A-A administration and board prior to the A-A School Board meeting May 13, 2024, by email.
Fifth fact: I was at the A-A board meeting Jan. 17, 2024, after the damage had been done at the former Alta High School building. During public comment, I asked the board to try to find a use for the building instead of destroying the building and that I was very disappointed with the damage that took place removing and displacing two great businesses that occupied the building. A gentleman and former Alta School alumni sat behind me in this meeting and asked the question during public comment, “Why was there no alternative heat provided while the boiler was down?”
Sixth fact: No questions have been answered by the A-A administration or board that has been asked of them to provide.
So, Mr. Cullen, perhaps your next editorial should be, who made the decisions of shutting the boiler off two days before the work was to be done at the former Alta High School building during the coldest January days of Iowa winter in 2024 when it could have waited until warmer weather? Who was neglectful in providing an adequate alternative heat source so water pipes and boiler condensate return lines would not freeze and break during the 8 to 10 days the boiler was contracted to be off for repairs? And, who came up with the idea that it was all the boilers fault blowing up to be the cause of the significant water damage done to this building that several administrators and boards have thought it was no longer a building for educational purposes? Also, why has the A-A administration and board not provided the public people with any truthful answers to questions asked of them?
Alta alumni, Alta citizens, Alta tax payers of this building deserve truthful answers!
Thank you Mr. Cullen for your time and for putting this “Letter to the Editor” in your next issue of the Storm Lake Times Pilot and any other of your newspapers.
Pam Henderson, Alta
So sad to read of the demolition of the little church where I was baptized 80-some years ago. I made several efforts to advocate for saving it during the past few years, and wish that more could have been done to preserve it—for its historical value if nothing else.
Ms. Bonnee Lauridsen, Lititz, Pa.
How would ancient Rome’s brilliant democracy have dealt with Donald Trump?
Rome frequently exercised its democratic right to impeach public officials, even after they left office. Those convicted of bad behavior were exiled from the country.
Rome also had public officials known as censors, one of whose functions was to manage the census rolls of citizens.
When any citizen, including the president of Rome (the “consul”), was convicted of a crime or came under civil action like defamation, bankruptcy, or military dishonor, the censor would enter a mark of “infamy” (Latin: “nota censoria”) into the record by his name.
This was a severe dent in his social reputation that attended him wherever he went. It was a later version of the Biblical “mark of Cain,” and an earlier version of our own sexual offender registry today.
When found to be “infamous,” public officials would lose the privilege of officeholding and would also lose their “place” as members of the senate or the equestrian order.
Rome acted quickly and decisively when there was misbehavior by those in positions of public trust. That’s why Rome’s democracy lasted 500 years and ours is virtually gone after only 250.
Kimball Shinkoskey, Woods Cross, Utah
In some communities swimming pools are empty and residents are urged to limit water usage. If it hasn’t happened where you live, consider yourself lucky, for now. Water is life, it is essential for every aspect of our existence. Yet, greedy corporations are threatening this vital resource for corporate gain through CO2 pipelines. Based on data from similar facilities and current ethanol usage, Summit's carbon capture facilities across Iowa will require 3.36 billion gallons of water annually, drawing water from areas already struggling to meet demands for surrounding ethanol plants, industry, and municipal use.
Iowa’s aquifers, particularly the deep bedrock ones, take hundreds or even thousands of years to recharge. Yet, 90% of water for ethanol production comes from these aquifers, compared to much lower percentages for other uses. Shockingly, the DNR continues to hand out water permits, putting our precious water supply at risk.
We must act now to protect our land and our water. The Iowa DNR must deny any water withdrawal permits for carbon capture and conduct a comprehensive study on Iowa’s aquifers. Iowans must act now to stop this pipeline water grab. We cannot afford to let giant corporations deplete our precious water resources.
Elizabeth Wearin, Red Oak
Re: the front page photo on June 5 (Life is Wild)…So the truth is it’s not a dog-eat-dog world? Seriously, that’s an exceptional, if unsettling, picture, one worth many more than these few words.
Mike Wellman, Des Moines
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