Gackle, ND

After years of enjoyment by many, the Gackle City Pool is in threat of not openning this year. For many years, the pool has been able to run off of a sum of money that was donated. This money has run out. The cost to keep the pool open during the last year totalled close to $9000. We are estimating costs this year at $10000.00 and likely more each year. The park board has been busy during the past year making renovations and updates to the city parks and this all comes at a cost. The total income from the pool last year was only $1955.00 and this doesn’t even come close to covering the chemicals used for the pool($3250.00). So if you have any ideas on what to do, please contact a park board member–Darla Reed, Bonnie Denning, Sandi Rivinius, or Percy Schlecht.

It has been almost five years since the Community Development took over ownership of the Gackle Cafe. The cafe has had many struggles during this time to keep the doors open. Currently, the cafe is being leased to Carolyn Zacher. She took over running the cafe last fall and really enjoys being apart of our community and wants to stay. So what’s the problem? Hard to pinpoint one thing so lets just get to the point. The lease has been changed so that Carolyn will be paying a monthly rent for the building and the community will be in charge of the rest. The rest (water, propane, electricity, insurance) is estimated to cost $1200.00 per month. I urge the community of Gackle to take ownership in this. If you want the cafe to remain open, we all need to support it in any way we can (donating, volunteering, eating, etc.). The cafe board, consisting of Mary Jo Fries, Barb Schmidt, and Sandi Rivinius, have been working hard to generate ideas to raise money. In addition to local fundraising efforts, the board has received grants from the North Dakota Community Foundation to help support the cafe.

A Pancake, French Toast, and Sausage buffet is scheduled to be held on April 20, 2008. There is a list of items that can be donated for this, which includes: syrup, eggs, butter, and orange juice. Any donations can be taken to the cafe. A raffle drawing will also be held on this day. Items on the raffle include a $150 Reister Meats bundle, $100 savings bond, $50 gift certificate for the Gackle Coop, and gift certificates for the cafe. Tickets can be purchased from any board member, at the bank, or the cafe for $1 per ticket or 6 for $5. Our main street needs a cafe!

Constant problems due to age and obsolescence have plagued the Gackle’s sewers. Quick fixes and costly repairs have town maintenance workers, volunteers and city leaders wondering if the sewer problems will ever end. It has become a problem that won’t go away and a major obstacle to the future growth of the town. Streets have been torn up and left unpaved and that’s not the worst of it…

Our Strategic Plan, which developed out of the Horizons Project, outlines Infrastructure Repair and Maintenance as key to Gackle’s Financial Stability. City leaders have worked hard to find a way to repair the sewer that is cost effective and fair to all residents. The plan was outlined by the mayor and contracted engineer in a town meeting on February 28.

The repairs will be paid for with Federal grants coupled with a resident infrastructure fee of $25 - $30 added to everyone’s water bill. While nobody wants an added fee, everyone who attended the meeting seemed to understand that it was a necessary step and an investment in the town’s future.

Check out the article that was in Tri-County News by clicking on the mini-newspaper for details of the plan.

This plan appears to have broad public support unlike plans outlined in the past. In my opinion, this is due to the transparency of the process and the willingness of the city to work with residents to come up with a “workable” solution. Giving everyone a “voice” is a big part of what the Horizons process has taught us.