By Shane Goodman shane@dmcityview.com
Good intentions
gone badly
Rezoning issue in Saylor
Township causes a stir
I recall my father telling me
the story of a man named Blackford
who donated land on the western
edge of my hometown of Algona
for the purpose of creating a
city park. My father and I would
drive by the property, and he
would comment, “What a shame,”
as that land is now home to a
sewage treatment plant — an awful
wrongdoing to a man who wanted
to give back to the city he loved.
I am not sure who made the decision
or when, but I am confident that
there were justified reasons at
the time. Regardless, it still
seems like a horrible insult to
Mr. Blackford.
I was reminded of this unfortunate
turn of events when reporter Jason
Hancock shared the details of
the story he was working on for
this week’s cover.
Steve Klein, after failed rezoning
attempts, sold and donated property
he owned in the Saylor Township
of rural Polk County. The Johnston
Soccer Club was to build fields
on the land, and Klein decided
to build his home and a miniature
golf course nearby. The soccer
club changed its mind, and the
land has since been rezoned to
light business, which now allows
for the construction of warehouses.
Through it all, Klein claims to
have turned green, falling in
love with the plant and animal
habitat in the wetland area. He
also claims that the reason the
rezoning happened now is just
another example of developers
having friends in high places.
County officials say the accusation
is ridiculous and refer to how
the rezoning falls in line with
the county’s comprehensive plan
and how similar rezoning benefited
Klein previously.
You can draw your own conclusions
about Klein, his motivation, the
natural habitat and the county’s
decisions, but we can all learn
a lesson from this. Should we
be fortunate enough in our lives
to be able to give back to our
communities, we must also be specific
in our expectations of how it
carries through. As for Mr. Blackford,
he deserves a sincere thank you
for his intentions and an earnest
apology for the end result.
Thanks for reading.
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