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The ongoing debate over the future of the Storm Lake Marina has dragged on far too long, and it’s time for BV County Conservation officials to face the facts. The public has spoken — loudly and clearly — and they do not want the marina lakefront building turned into office space and a nature center.
Four out of five respondents in the county’s own poll supported using the marina for public events, community gatherings and educational activities. Only 20% favored the county conservation plan to occupy the lakefront building with administrative offices and a lackluster “nature center.” Even with such a clear result, the issue still isn’t settled — and that’s a letdown for the community.
Let’s be honest — the issue isn’t about conservation, education or public benefit. It’s about convenience. It’s about one county department’s desire for a lake view. County conservation’s argument that “staff need to be closer” to each other or that “commutes are long” is simply not how responsible organizations make location decisions. No business in the private sector picks prime commercial real estate because it shortens an employee’s drive. That’s not “wise use” of public property — that’s poor stewardship.
And calling this a “nature center” is, at best, misleading. By their own description, the so-called nature center would be one interior room — windows on one side, office doors on the other — leaving little usable space for interesting displays or hands-on exhibits. At best, it would be a glorified taxidermy room with mounted animals with no funding in sight for significant enhancements. That is not environmental education, and it certainly isn’t the kind of immersive, outdoor experience that inspires the next generation of conservationists.
If Buena Vista County truly wants a real nature center — which, as an outdoorsman myself, I am in full support of — then build one in a setting that allows for future growth — with trails, camping and wildlife observation. The spoil site, already county-owned, offers exactly that potential. It’s a better fit for educational programs and for county conservation’s stated mission. The marina’s lakefront building on the other hand, is meant to serve as the community’s front porch to the lake — a place for gatherings, food, live music and tourism. If done right, both would bring energy, economic activity and pride to Storm Lake.
Instead, county conservation wants to sink dollars into remodeling and retrofitting the marina lakefront building to wedge in offices with leftover space for a lackluster nature center. There is even some talk about an addition for gathering space. In each case, every dollar spent on that project is a dollar taken away from real conservation efforts and is settling versus making each optimal. And speaking of dollars, every time we hear from county conservation it seems like there is a new, irrelevant estimated cost comparison with an inflated million-dollar price tag for repairs or aspirational new construction. Overseeing funding in this manner — in either case — doesn’t make any plan fiscally sound; it makes it reckless.
The term “conservation” means wise use of resources. Turning a lakeside gem into an office building is the opposite of that. The wise use here — the truly public use — is to keep the marina lakefront building open and accessible, not occupied by county offices.
Buena Vista County deserves leadership that listens to its residents, honors the overwhelming poll results, protects this rare piece of lakefront for the community who will own it and has a vision for a nature center on the spoil site where it would be in the right location for the right purpose. Let’s not let bureaucracy rob Storm Lake of its true potential.
Keep the marina lakefront building 100% public. Keep it open.
Todd Felton, Storm Lake
Remember the tinker kids?
The Des Moines Public Schools students who were suspended for wearing black armbands to class in silent, peaceful protest against the Vietnam War were ultimately vindicated in a landmark Supreme Court ruling that addressed the exercise of freedom of speech on school campuses more than half a century ago.
I thought of them and the quiet, precocious courage of their convictions when I read Randy Evans’ account of the rank cowardice displayed by the Board of Regents and ISU president Wendy Wintersteen in the face of a social media mob.
“Institutions of higher learning” should be bastions of freedom, not branch offices of an impermanent political administration.
Some folks refer to Iowa State University as Moo U, a tease that’s actually an acknowledgment of the school’s well deserved and longstanding reputation as a leader in agricultural research. But Wintersteen’s wilt under public pressure suggests a new nickname might be in order: Boo U.
Mike Wellman, Des Moines
Have you ever seen bargaining chips queuing up for free food?
Have you ever witnessed bargaining chips crying out of gratitude laced with desperation?
Those “bargaining chips” are hungry Siouxlanders whose already-diminished SNAP benefits run out before the month does.
My church’s monthly food giveaway team has a personal relationship with increasing numbers of hungry people, even though we spend double what we spent in 2022 to feed 40% more people.
How did humans become “bargaining chips” — mere cyphers in a game of political brinkmanship? By being poor, old, disabled or veterans during the latest government shutdown, the first-ever to take hungry people hostage in order to also deny those same people affordable medical care.
Ask yourself, when did tax cuts for the wealthy become more important than food and medicine for our most vulnerable? Is our current situation really a function of money — or an overweening thirst for power? Why did the Big Beautiful Bill signed into law on Independence Day make tax cuts for the wealthy permanent, but subject life-sustaining measures to periodic “review” or elimination?
Then, ask your legislators and President the same questions. They must not take our silence as affirmation.
Finally, please support your local food bank.
Karen Heidman, Sioux City
When you’re born you have no choice in it. You can’t choose your color, location, race or gender. You could be born an Eskimo in Alaska or Phillipino, Chinese, or even a white baby to a rich man in New York. It’s all the roll of the dice — just luck.
You could be male or female or born with mixed up X and Y chromosomes. You could be born with male gear and feel in your soul you’re female. Does God make mistakes? To all you so called Christians — what would Jesus do? Welcome or reject? When people feel superior because of race or money I get nauseous. If you inherit you didn’t earn it. Especially bad if you don’t know what to do with it.
How many orange bankruptcies? Six times.
Dave Haynes, Duncombe
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