It’s time to put our heads together and figure out how to get an event center

Let’s Get-her Done!!

This past May the citizens of Hartington voted on two important issues, one being to build a new building to house the City equipment and the other, to move and upgrade the Skylon Ballroom.

As you well know, one passed and the other failed. However, since that time, I have heard a good number of people say that the reason they voted against moving the Skylon was that they were in favor of building a new event center and therefore made the assumption that it was best to vote NO on the motion to move the dance hall.

So where do we go now and how do we get there? I have been living in Hartington for the past 46 years plus and have seen a great deal of change and growth.

The building of a new golf course club house; building a new shelter house; a new transfer station and recycling center; a new football fielding sports complex; the new library and a number of new private ventures such as the construction of a new rectory and the Msgr. Werner Activities Center; the Cobblestone Hotel and now the second new bank along the highway; just to mention a few.

While so many communities have struggled to maintain, this community has continued to grow.

There are a great number of the current businesses who have second and third generations running them. This just didn’t happen by accident. This happened because of great leadership and a community that was willing to invest in the future.

Many of those leaders were willing to make things happen for the good of the community. Clarence Hoesing had a vision of a new library and worked endlessly to get the funds and push to make this happen. Arlo Wirth and his wife, bought into leasing funds to continue their legacy and benefit the community perpetually through the Hartington Community Foundation.

Russ Hochstein Field is another example of private investment working together with the city to make a great facility to benefit future generations to come.

Hartington has been blessed to have private ownership and management of the Skylon Ballroom for the past 70 years.

I don’t know exactly how, but I for one, would like to again call on the leadership to find a way to keep an event center, be it the Skylon or a new facility, or some combination of the two.

It will take someone to step up and care enough to make it happen. The Chamber, the City Council, the Hartington Community Foundation, and it will take private investment dollars, as well.

I strongly believe it is essential to maintain this type of facility and service in Hartington.

Communities are either growing or dying during these challenging times. I am willing to bet that the leadership will fi nd a way for this to happen and I am inviting everyone — not just the local taxpayers — but everyone to join me in supporting whatever it takes to make this happen.

We have been blessed with great leadership in our City Council, Chamber of Commerce and Community Foundation, and we need to continue to thank them for their efforts and all the time they put into keeping Hartington Nebraska one of the best places to live and raise a family.

Let’s find a way to keep those large Cedar County weddings, garage sales, etc. happening right here locally.

As Ferdie Peitz would say “Hey, young fella, lets get her done!” — Paul Steffen, Hartington