Letter to the Editor

Geneva auditorium article leaves reader wanting more
 
Letter to the editor:
 
     I read with interest the article in the Hampton Chronicle on Feb. 10 regarding the Geneva auditorium and gymnasium. The article was well written and the group called Geneva Community Betterment is to be commended for all the work, time and money they have given to bring the gymnasium back to life.
     The gym is dear to my heart because I am a 1954 graduate of Geneva, and I believe the “new” gym opened in 1952. Boy, were we proud of our new place to play basketball, have concerts and plays with a lunchroom attached. I was involved in many basketball games in the building as well as band concerts and a couple of plays.
     I followed the changes that took place when Geneva merged with Ackley in 1961 in the newspaper. The article stated the school district gifted the gym to the town of Geneva in the early part of 1980 after it was no longer being used as a school. We had at least one all-school reunion in the building after that. Later on I heard from classmates the roof on the gym had started to leak. They indicated no effort was made to repair the roof and as a result the inside of the building started to fall apart.
     Nick Pedley did a nice job of writing the story in a very positive tone. I wish he had given us a bit more information. At the time the roof started to leak why did the city council not take action to repair the roof? I did not find anywhere in the story that the town of Geneva has spent any money to repair the building which is owned by the town. How can that be?
     I did not find in the story why the GCB committee spent money on the bus barn. Why was money spent on the bus barn and what is it being used for today? I admire Tonya Sanders for leading the GCB group to restore what was a very nice building at the time it was gifted to the town of Geneva.
     My main question is why is Tonya Sanders and the GCB committee doing all this work and raising money for this project and the town of Geneva City Council not involved at all? Perhaps I did not understand the story correctly. I hope that is the case. To Tonya Sanders, thanks and keep up the good work.
 
Herman Richtsmeier
Ames