Mayor explains possible plan for Skylon

HARTINGTON — Hartington Mayor Mark Becker told Hartington Chamber of Commerce members Sunday the City Council wants to get input on a community center, so the issue can go on the May primary election ballot.

Becker said he has scheduled a Feb. 12 town hall meeting at the City Auditorium so Council members can hear the community's thoughts about relocating the Skylon Ballroom and then turning it into a community center.

If the project does not gain enough community support at that meeting, it will most likely not go on the May ballot, he said.

This is an issue that is important for the community, Becker said.

'We've been very lucky,' he said. 'We've had the opportunity to have a community building for over 75 years and Hartington hasn't had to pay a dime for that and that's unusual.'

Those days are coming to an end, though, Becker said.

Current Skylon owner Roger Wortmann has said a June 29 wedding dance has been scheduled at the Skylon and that will be the last event there.

If the Skylon is to continue, it will have to be moved to a new site.

The City Council would like to see the facility moved west into a new business park that is being developed between Pomp's Tire Service and Bomgaars.

'We may have to get involved in that (Skylon) project if the community has the appetite to do so,' Becker said.

Becker urged area residents to attend the Feb. 12 meeting and share their opinions.

'We want people to come and let us know their needs,' he said. 'We've got some plans. We have an idea of moving the Skylon, some costs associated with it and what it would look like. That would be the time to come talk to us about it. We really need your input and we're looking forward to that evening to kind of just put it all out there.'

He said the city's current maintenance building, which is located at the former Hartington City Hall on East Main Street, is also in need of replacement.

Becker said he'd like to see a bond put before the voters to take on both projects.

He said the Council wants to hear public comments before they make such big decisions.

'I think more people that I've talked to are in favor of this project than not. But the public's going to decide if we are going to do this, since we're spending taxpayer money,' he said.

Becker used the rest of his talk Sunday to share the good news about what has been happening in Hartington.

Economic Development Coordinator Miranda Becker earned a state tourism award last year. He also noted the Hartington Public Library once again earned Five-Star Library status.

Becker said he is always getting comments about the high quality of Hartington’s parks and recreational facilities.

“Our parks and rec continue to be a really bright spot for Hartington — the swimming pool, parks and complex, all those things,” he said. “Numerous volunteers serve on boards and fill those positions. And we’re really appreciative of those folks. Their work and these facilities just make Hartington a great place to live.”

Becker said the city continues to work on other improvements, such as street and alley paving projects.

“You may have noticed some of the paving projects that were completed this (past) year — alleys and the intersections that were kind of in bad shape for a while,” he said. “Those are projects that we can complete through the use of city sales tax funds, and those really helped with infrastructure costs and things like that to help our town keep looking great — and we’re going to continue to do more of those.”