I just can’t seem to let this go and just accept that my/our town government chose not to make a decision to help financially support the Fisher Community Center/Marshalltown Arts and Civic Center/Fisher Art Museum, and by all rights also the return of the Marshalltown Community Theater. The center is truly a very special place right here in our town that we can honestly say is just as fine as anyplace anywhere.

I just looked at the center’s website and saw recent pictures of activities with many hundreds of our students participating in music and art activities, and it brought back memories of going to piano recitals and art shows when my daughters were in school. As I drive south on Center Street, I always look over at the statue in the pond of the man holding his child up to the universe, and it always brings me a moment of gratitude to live in this wonderful town.

If you divide the $100,000 that was requested by our number of residents, that number is less than the cost of a quarter-pound hamburger per resident. We all know Marshalltown has taken some gut-punches in the last few years, but there are a lot of good things happening right now. But my thinking is we must still maintain and cherish the very best parts of Marshalltown that make us a unique and special place to call our home.

The Community Center represents just such a place. The Center is better than ever since the restoration after the derecho. More and more community activities are happening because of the hard work of wonderful and dedicated staff.

These activities are bringing life back into this facility for our entire community to use and enjoy. The theater still needs to be finished, and I am sure that when done it will be just as wonderful and appealing as what’s been finished. This whole facility represents an incredible special gift to Marshalltown and can bring each of us a sense of pride in being a resident of the city of Marshalltown. I ask the council to please reconsider this justified request for support. We really need to do this for ourselves, for today and for the future.