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HARTINGTON — A routine Hartington City Council meeting quickly turned into a public forum Monday night, as about 40 area residents packed the room to voice concerns over the city’s handling of the Skylon Ballroom project.
Much of the discussion centered on a recent report from State Auditor Mike Foley, which was critical of the city’s management of the project.
Hartington resident Rich Pedersen addressed the council, saying his goal was to “settle the dust” surrounding the issue. He asked whether the city would consider hosting a town hall meeting to further discuss concerns raised in the auditor’s report.
Mayor Mark Becker said the council had already provided that opportunity.
“This has been a posted meeting,” Becker said. “I think the people who are interested in this issue are here tonight.”
Becker noted Pedersen had been placed on the agenda in advance, and the topic had been publicly advertised.
Councilman Colin Kathol agreed. “It was on our agenda,” Kathol said. “I would expect whoever had questions about the Skylon project would have been here tonight.”
Pedersen said he was speaking on behalf of residents who believe the city moved forward with relocating and renovating the Skylon Ballroom into a community center despite voters rejecting a $1.6 million bond issue for the project.
Kathol noted he also voted against that bond proposal.
“That didn’t mean I didn’t want a community center,” Kathol said. “I just didn’t want to see my taxes go up any more.”
Becker said the council interpreted the bond vote differently — as opposition to the proposed financing method, not the project itself.
He said the facility is largely being paid for with sales tax revenue and is already generating economic activity.
“Hartington needs a community center,” Becker said. “It’s a real economic benefit to have this facility here. It helps a lot of local businesses.”
Becker said the facility has already booked 18 or 19 weddings, along with several other events, over the next 16 months.
“That brings a lot of people to our town,” he said. 'It gives people another reason to want to move here.
Pedersen said he supports the concept of a community center, but questioned whether the current facility meets that goal.
“The state auditor’s report had a lot of things that seemed pre tty questionable,” he said. “I was not for moving the Skylon, but I was for a community center.”
He said he would have supported a larger, more versatile facility. “I would have been in favor of a $3 to $4 million community cen ter — one that served the community in many ways,” Pedersen said. “Instead of a dance hall — and that’s really what we got here. ”
Former City Clerk Natalie Schaecher also questioned the council, asking about how the facility was budgeted and if they were making any policy changes in light of the auditor’s report.
Several other people also addressed the Council during the onehour and 45 minute meeting. Most of them asking the same q uestions — why did the council push ahead with a project without fi rst getting community consensus.
Becker said the council had three choices — no community center at all; moving the Skylon and expanding it into a community center; or trying to pass a more expensive bond to build a new communit y center.
Becker said since the electorate turned down a $1.6 million bond it was the council’s feeling there was no appetite for an even more expensive project.
Pedersen said local residents are upset that the council pushed this down their throats without giving the public a chance to make their opinions known.
Kathol said the general public really has no idea how much time and effort went into this project.
“This isn’t something we just decided to do on a whim,” he said . “We all put a lot of thought — a lot of time into this. ”
Kathol said if people are dissastisfied with how the council has made the decisions, they should should make an effort and get in volved.
“We’re up here because we care for this community. We want to see it grow and improve,” he said. “I’m not up here to benefit Colin. I’m up here for the community.”
“If so many people are so against the decisions we make, how co me no one filed against me? There are three of us up for election this year, yet no one filed against any of us.”
The filing deadline for this year’s primary election was in March. Kathol, Cody Christensen and Mayor Mark Becker are all running unopposed for re-election this year.
