Letter to the Editor: Lack of confidence

To the Editor:
In the last few weeks I’ve heard a lot with respect to the Driftless Area Education and Visitor Center currently being built south of Lansing. I’ve attended a Board of Supervisors meeting when the project was discussed to make sure I had both sides of the issue.
Though I support the project in theory, I disagree with the implementation of it without having the necessary funding secured, and I have no confidence in the project’s ability to generate the necessary revenue, year after year, to fund itself.
Furthermore, consider that another Driftless Center is being raised in Genoa, WI; for our customers and tourists that are interested in this, they now have two locally to choose from and it will certainly be one or the other, not both. Immediately your potential visitors are cut in half, and it’s my opinion that the Genoa location is more ideally suited for this endeavor as it is situated so closely to the La Crosse area. Additionally, we already have the Effigy Mounds National Monument located here in Allamakee County.
I have no confidence in our government’s ability at any level to run a business enterprise, and unfortunately this project has been sold as such. It is supposed to run on income generated by the facility, and supplemented by donations. What happens when the money is short, as it already is? This is not a small project: 3.6 million dollars for a building in a county with 14,000 residents, and fewer taxpayers, is a lot of money for us.
I’ve been told that Allamakee County has only 6,200 tax filers - with this number the initial diversion of $158,000 is $25.50 for each of us... but this is only the start. The project has already requested another $100,000 of County money, and again, the funding for the building itself has not been secured. There is a significant risk that the county taxpayers may be on the hook for much, much more.
With regard to the financial benefits of such a project, I don’t believe that the venture will be successful or profitable. I believe it could easily be a hole to toss our tax dollars into, with an empty parking lot except for those County workers who are enjoying their new offices. Meanwhile, I can’t afford the things I should because of my tax burden; my car is falling apart from driving on our terrible roads, and the downtown areas across the county are too dilapidated to sustain a long-term business.
If we want potential tourist revenue, the best way to do this successfully is to improve our infrastructure and maintain the beauty of the area that we are blessed with. Find a plan where we can make a friendly and successful environment for local business, and support those businesses as they strive to make a profit.
Finally, as this project is going to use Allamakee County taxpayer money, then I believe a municipal bond should have been issued pursuant to a successful bond measure. My feeling is that if this project is as solid as they say it is, then there should not be a problem obtaining enough voters to approve the measure.

Joseph Irvin
Waukon