Sitting at the table with elected county and city officials and their respective staffs last week was quite the eye opener.

Wednesday, March 15, 2000

Sitting at the table with elected county and city officials and their respective staffs last week was quite the eye opener. Things got pretty hot once or twice, maybe hot enough to melt a sheet or two of ice.

It was the second time the two governmental groups – which were represented by the finance committee of each body plus support staff – sat down around a table to talk. For two groups that have a history of sniping from each party’s respective turf, it has been a ground-breaking process.

Ground-breaking because both governmental bodies are made up of proud people who sometimes misunderstand each other, and who sometimes understand but disagree. The second is healthy, the first is just plain silly between two groups that are supposedly working toward at least some mutual goals. As well, the snide comments that often leak out of meetings may be great fodder for the press, but it is a less than quality material upon which to build a relationship.

This multi-purpose arena may make or break this budding romance.

Last week, it was County Commissioner Ray Tucker who – when Mayor Rietz asked if there was anything else anyone wanted to discuss – hesitated at first, but then said "Where exactly do we stand with this arena?"

Brave question. There aren’t too many politicians who would make themselves so vulnerable.

It was also a good question, because the two governments have been communicating largely through media coverage of their meetings, memos and letters. The last official letter had come from the city to the county, in response to a request from the county that the city help make up the difference between the original and the revised estimates on the multipurpose arena. The city had bounced that request right back, requesting first that the county find out what it could get for the original estimate.

I figure Tucker knew exactly what the city had written in its last letter, but he probably also knew it’s a lot tougher to bluff face to face.

That arena, planned for the Mower County Fairgrounds, should benefit all of Mower County.

Of course the members of the city council want to see this arena built.

Of course they also don’t want to take over the project – they have enough plenty of other projects to concern themselves with. However, they also have lots of hockey players and their parents who are getting discouraged with the whole thing and who might run for city (or county) office next time.

It seemed the two groups reached a point they could proceed from at that meeting, at least once the estimates come back from the contractors.

Tuesday’s Council Finance Committee meeting confirmed the city’s less political and more cooperative attitude, at least unofficially, when Chairwoman Jeanne Poppe asked if those around the table would be willing to give the county more money toward the project.

Most said yes; no one actually said no.

"I want to see this get done," she said, echoing the words of hockey moms and dads, the Fair Board, and whoever organizes the National Barrow Show.

Jana Peterson’s column appears Wednesdays