Elk Konnected Hand out at County Commissioners meeting on 4/25

[frawin]

Elk County will always be home to Myrna and me. If not for some health issues we would be living in Howard now. I was born in Howard and lived the first 25 years of my life there. I have travelled all over the world and the US and Elk County still has the best people I have known. I own property in Elk County and look to acquire more.
If I move back the first thing I would do is join Elk Connect and donate time and Money to help with all of the good things they do for the people all over the county. I am pleased that the majority of  the Forum ignores the trash that  has been posted by some. My wife had family that lived in Longton, Elk Falls and Howard, I had family in Moline, Howard and in laws that have family in Longton, some of the best people I know live in longton. It is sad to see such childish trash posted to try to cause problems between the towns and schools.

[Hefe de vaca]

      Look forward to having you here, frawin.

[cheyronni]

well julie you snide remark about everyone being fat, lazy, and all the other negative things you said about the rest of us in elk county is a real good reason to not support your business. i will keep my fat, lazy butt shopping at the LONGTON GROCERY store where they have friendly service. you have me thinking about joining the fitness center in independence too, where people don't label me fat and lazy. with the price of gas my fat, lazy arse will head east with my money. thanks for reminding me of your friendly customer service!!

[Ross]

I noticed.  But Ross, to be honest, I don't think it's a problem between the general citizenry of Howard and the other communities.  I believe all citizens have a certain 'local pride', but not to the total exclusion of the other communities.  No, I think it's more about the overinflated view of a few elites who think Howard is somehow 'better' or more deserving than the other communities.  Funny how a few seem to set the tone for all.  Even though the majority may not share the same view.  But, I could be wrong.

't know I agree, I think it is only a select few. But I don't know who they are.

[Ross]

Sorry, but I have been on the fitness center committee since it began and I do not remember you offering any services to us.  If you felt you got a cold shoulder, I am sorry for that, it certainly was not intentional.  The problem with the fitness center was not a management problem, but rather the same problem that exists across the country. People are too, busy, lazy, fat, tired, poor, or whatever other excuse they can find to not exercise.  Obesity is at an all time high and this fitness center just confirm that lack of commitment to take care of ourselves.

You are right, not working together is one of our biggest problems in Elk County. (you can filter the brown water. )

I don't believe she meant this in a mean and hurtful manner. Don't we all get frustrated when something we are working on goes awry? Please be decent and cut her some slack. Yes, I happen to like this lady and I will still shop with her. Let's not be hateful, please. A few mispoken words should not affect our community in that way. IMHO. i have always been treated courteously at her place of business.

[Ross]

This is me as a taxpayer, not speaking from Elk Konnected: Ross, has everything you ever done in your life been a complete success? The way you discuss the Wellness Center closing you act as if your whole life and every part of it has always been the way you wanted it to turn out.  Just because it did not have enough membership to support it's expenses does not mean that it should not have been attempted.  Since 1995 when we moved back here, I personally have been hearing from various places that we needed a fitness center.  It was still being talked about when Elk Konnected started.  That's why it was attempted.  Until you have no disappointing outcomes in your life, you shouldn't cast stones.

You are absolutly right. I have had dissapointments. They were my private dissapointments. I did not brag in the newspaper that I could do such great things. The difference is that I was not promoting myself as the savior of Elk County. Nor was I touting that my organization was so great with it's panels making decisions. Nor, have I ever wrote a letter praising myself as one thing and discribing myself as a County Commissioner have I?   

By the way I am not blaming you for the closure. I just don't believe Elk Konnected is all that and a box of chocolates, but more like lemons  and not lemon aid. Just my personal opinion. I see power grabbing going on at the cost of the majority of Elk County citizens.


The letter I refer to is at:
http://www.publicsquarecommunities.com/resources/kcl0511.pdf

None of what I say is personal to individuals,
I am addressing Elk Konnected an organization that no one claims ownership of.

[Hefe de vaca]

I don't believe she meant this in a mean and hurtful manner. Don't we all get frustrated when something we are working on goes awry? Please be decent and cut her some slack. Yes, I happen to like this lady and I will still shop with her. Let's not be hateful, please. A few mispoken words should not affect our community in that way. IMHO. i have always been treated courteously at her place of business.

    Ross , you just came up big right there, two thumbs up.

[Lookatmeknow!!]

I too, agree with Julie. I was one that used the fitness center and become to self involved and have started gaining back some of the 50 pound that I have lost. She is not saying that to be mean or hateful. It's all over the news about the incline in over weight people. I for one am not to proud to admit that I need to exercise more and eat better. I know that!!

[Ross]

Elk County will always be home to Myrna and me. If not for some health issues we would be living in Howard now. I was born in Howard and lived the first 25 years of my life there. I have travelled all over the world and the US and Elk County still has the best people I have known. I own property in Elk County and look to acquire more.
If I move back the first thing I would do is join Elk Connect and donate time and Money to help with all of the good things they do for the people all over the county. I am pleased that the majority of  the Forum ignores the trash that  has been posted by some. My wife had family that lived in Longton, Elk Falls and Howard, I had family in Moline, Howard and in laws that have family in Longton, some of the best people I know live in longton. It is sad to see such childish trash posted to try to cause problems between the towns and schools.

You have apparently failed to read the whole thread and all the web sites by Elk Konnected and Public Squares Communities, LLC and it's requirements to be a member of theirs.  My opinions and questions are in blue, I just wanted that to be clear.

In my opinion, it appears that Elk Konnected is at the root of the conflicts, but you read and make your own decision, please? This is in my opinion a must read.

For instance: A personal Letter to Elk Konnected by Liz Hendricks
http://www.publicsquarecommunities.com/resources/kcl0511.pdf  

Dear citizens of Elk Konnected:
Congrats! You have done it! You have
achieved accreditation as a Public Square Community
after four years of using this process to
build hope for your community.

What process? The process of Public Squares Community, LLC you should read and understand this process it's at their web site at http://www.publicsquarecommunities.com/community/elk/news.php.
To me it spells out total control, won't you think about that? While there look and see who is employed by them, the company clear across the state in Leoti, Kansas. Guess who moved back home to Elk County from Leoti the author of this letter.

Still from the letter
When Elk Konnected started, the climate
in your communities was pretty dismal.

I moved here in 2005 and immediately liked the whole county. I found it a very wholesome place with great people.

Still from the letter
The six towns were competing against each other, still harboring
old battle wounds from lost county seat wars
and lost school consolidation battles. Painful
memories fed the fear that if one town wins, all
the others lose.

Please, please show me the people left over from the civil war?
I believe it was Howard that lost the school consolidation war.
My question is why does Howard want to push itself on everyone else?
My guess is it is only a select few and Elk Konnected.

Still from the letter
Your kids went to various school
districts–West Elk, Elk Valley, Central-Burden,
Fredonia, Bluestem, or Eureka–and those school
rivalries were, and still are, fierce!

Do you notice the letter is not specific about who's kids?
But hey, can you show me a single county in Kansas that does not have several school districts?
Or a county where the communities do not have competition? Or rivalries?
Now, if this is insinuating that something normal is abnormal, I don't know what does, do you?

One of the suggestions on the Elk County Hand Out At Commissioners Meeting on 4/25
Called the Community Conversation Committee Report was
Unified Gov't (w/in the county) to save money and become more unified (do away with city gov't, councils­ (cont.) all centrally located-one managing body) (Big Ideas's)
Where do you suppose this centralized control would be?
I say leave the communities alone.

Still from the letter
Business was struggling, fighting against city and
county units of government. Government was
on its own course.

Wait a minute the author of this letter claims to be the founding member of Elk Konnected but yet she is one of the County Commissioners that business was fighting???
I don't get it, do you?
Government like every other business is on their own individual courses.
Not everyone can deal in panty hose or gasoline, now can they?

Still from the letter
So you utilized a third party
facilitator–Terry Woodbury from Public
Square Communities LLC–to direct the process
and invite all citizens to engage. No county
commissioner or mayor or educator or minister
would have been neutral enough to do that.

And I feel compelled to repeat myself. The process of Public Squares Community, LLC you should read and understand this process it's at their web site at http://www.publicsquarecommunities.com/community/elk/news.php.
To me it spells out total control, won't you think about that? While there look and see who is employed by them, the company clear across the state in Leoti, Kansas. Guess who moved back home to Elk County from Leoti the author of this letter.

Thanks
to the Physical Wellness action team,
we now have a Wellness Center in
Howard, with card access to anyone,
anytime.

Until August 31st. Simply poor planning and discussions lead to this closing in my opinion.
First you need the patrons to support it.
And second you need to consider the financial and employment situations in the county and the country.

Still from the letter
You did that in 2008 with the Community Conversation on
"our schools and our community" and helped one of our school boards
deal with a shrinking budget.

How? It appeared that Elk Konnected and Howard pushed for the closures of our
Grade schools and the $5.5 million bond election. Which would have been used
to house less than 300 children. $5.5 million. Oh yes and I believe it was suppose to have
a community storm shelter built into it. For what community --- Howard of course. I think if Howard wants a community shelter they should have a vote of their community and build it if that is what they want.
The bond issue was failed by the majority of the Elk County community. But would have passed if only Howard was voting. Just how did Elk Konnected help the school board and my guess is that it was West Elk
Just outside the city limits of Howard. Oh, by the way is Howard still trying to move their city limits to encompass West Elk? Do they really believe that would help their economy while the whole country is floundering?

This is a great county to live in just the way it is. And people should be able to talk directly with their county commissioners. And during the meetings they provide an open forum just for that purpose. I did not elect Elk Konnected to act or speak on my behalf. No body has that I know of.

[jprxmkt]

well julie you snide remark about everyone being fat, lazy, and all the other negative things you said about the rest of us in elk county is a real good reason to not support your business. i will keep my fat, lazy butt shopping at the LONGTON GROCERY store where they have friendly service. you have me thinking about joining the fitness center in independence too, where people don't label me fat and lazy. with the price of gas my fat, lazy arse will head east with my money. thanks for reminding me of your friendly customer service!!

To you and anyone else I offended, I am so sorry! That is not what I meant at all.  I was not calling anyone fat lazy etc. I was saying those are reasons I have heard from people about themselves as to why they don't want to exercise.  (I've even used a couple of them about myself ). I just am not that aggressive and rude when I speak and I am so so sorry that it came across that way.  Please accept my apologies.  That is the danger of the written word when you can't feel where a person is coming from by looking into their eyes.  Again, I am so sorry.