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

[Patriot]

And, refuting yet another massive exageration by Ross, the population of Elk County has not surpassed 10,000 since 1910.  Forty years ago, there were only 3858 people residing in Elk County.  The county has lost one fourth of that number over the past four decades, or six-tenths of a percent per year.  

However, as I recall the 2010 Census showed the rate of decrease had accelerated to 1.6222% per year between 2000 to 2010.  More than twice the 40 year average.

If trends mean anything, we should at least be able to agree on the obvious... our population has been in consistent decline for decades.  And that reality doesn't bode well for the county at large.

[flintauqua]

However, as I recall the 2010 Census showed the rate of decrease had accelerated to 1.6222% per year between 2000 to 2010.  More than twice the 40 year average.

If trends mean anything, we should at least be able to agree on the obvious... our population has been in consistent decline for decades.  And that reality doesn't bode well for the county at large.

Pat, I agree completely with your above statements. 

Something has to be done at the local level to stimulate growth.  A reasonable tax rate is but one of many things that can and should be utilized to stimulate growth. 

However, there should be a blend of actions and programs used.  Viewing the Youth Development and Economic Development function as simply an expense, rather than an instrument for gowth, is not indicative of a balanced approach.

This is not the time to retreat, it is time to build upon what has been done and implement with renewed vigor an aggressive, balanced, and progressive campaign for economic development.

If not, there won't be an Elk County around to even count the population of in the near future.  The state will just merge the area in with neighboring counties. 

[Diane Amberg]

Ross, to answer your question, yes, questions can really be statements and statements can be questions. Yes ,they can can be found in more advanced English books.
 example   The question. Do I really need a flu shot? What is really being said is, "I don't want to get a flu shot unless I really have to.''  
The other one....The statement    Hi, 'I hear you are new to Moline",is really the question, ''Where are you from?" The person might answer, "Yes, we just moved here from Howard.''
Indirect speech is very common and is often learned in writing classes . Of course that can lead to the  lesson on the difference between implied and inferred. Sorry I was late in getting this posted. Bye bye.

[Patriot]

Pat, I agree completely with your above statements.  

Something has to be done at the local level to stimulate growth.  A reasonable tax rate is but one of many things that can and should be utilized to stimulate growth.  

However, there should be a blend of actions and programs used.  Viewing the Youth Development and Economic Development function as simply an expense, rather than an instrument for gowth, is not indicative of a balanced approach.

This is not the time to retreat, it is time to build upon what has been done and implement with renewed vigor an aggressive, balanced, and progressive campaign for economic development.

If not, there won't be an Elk County around to even count the population of in the near future.  The state will just merge the area in with neighboring counties.  

Sit down... I agree with 100% of what you've said!  

In careful analysis of local realities, however, our Youth Development Program has consisted not of development primarily, but mostly of time consuming entertainment activities... movies after school, joy rides at community events and such... not character/skill building endeavors.  As such, it has been a simple expense.  

Notice I've not assigned that same status to the economic development function, though the effort in that arena has been, IMO, haphazard and lacking professionalism in some instances.

Perhaps with the common basis you've offered, there is hope for real, positive change.

[Ross]

Nothing special in today's newspaper about them Elk Konnected folks.
Or the County Commissioners Meeting and the Youth Development petition.
That must have been considered a nothing thing, didn't even make the paper.

Inside the front page there are the Editorial and a story about Chautauqua County dropping the Prairie Star as the county's official paper.

They went to the Winfield paper as their official county paper.
I wonder why?

Could it be the papers attitude?

Could it be because of negative reporting?

What might happen if Elk County Commissioners were to do the same thing due to his Konnected bias reporting?

I believe the man is beginning to worry about his subscription base, me thinks, that's his bottom line, his profits isn't it?

He was busy telling Chautauqua people they would be out of the loop, Really?

Whose loop?
Actually his loop, right?
All they gotta do is switch to the Winfield paper.
Competition is hell isn't it?
Maybe those Chautauqua people don't care about what goes on in Elk County and don't need to read about it in his newspaper.

The editorial had a different tone then last week's paper, where I felt he was putting down the County Commissioners of both counties.

But, I also read in that editorial about positive-minded people facing opposition. Huh?
Are there super humans that have only positive minds?
If I say the sky is blue will them positive-minded people be positive-minded and not disagree negatively?
Or is positive-minded people are positive they are going to get their own way until they find out other wise?

Positive-minded is a science fiction term IMO.
A politically devised term to fool sheeple, IMO.

I didn't see any positive-minded people at the county commissioners meeting about the Youth Development petition.
I saw a lot of attitude on both of the fence. Mine too!

When a lady at the meeting asked how much money Elk Konnected had,
there was no positive-minded answer, just silence.

Go figure.

I had a very busy day today and an even busier day coming tomorrow.
So I may not be able to respond to any of your put downs right away.
But I will do my best to get back to you, maybe!

Good night folks.

[upoladeb]

everyone talks about growth,you can't move here if there is no where to live.If a person wants land around here they have to be able to buy big acreage or live in the outrages over taxed towns.The only thing  to change that is land developers and i've seen what that does other places...didn't like it moved here for the lifestyle and i like it.Everyone have a beautiful day and God bless....even Diane

[Ross]

everyone talks about growth,you can't move here if there is no where to live.If a person wants land around here they have to be able to buy big acreage or live in the outrages over taxed towns.The only thing  to change that is land developers and i've seen what that does other places...didn't like it moved here for the lifestyle and i like it.Everyone have a beautiful day and God bless....even Diane

I agree with what you say upoladeb.
I think what the uproar is really about now is simply panic and desperation by the merchants, that finally realize that the declining population is having an adverse effect on their profits. And they want to use taxpayer's money to try to correct the decline.

But the other ways they have gone about it is no better.
Secrecy and trickery was never anything anyone ever appreciated and it usually fails.

I think it would behoove some of those people to reexamine their thinking, or they may lose a lot of customers they have today. I sure wouldn't like to see that happen. However, if people conceive they are being used and tricked that is exactly what they will do. I personally try to keep my spending in the county partly because I don't like driving to Independence or Winfield or further out even. But, of course not everything is available in Elk County.

You have a great day, I'm working towards that goal, So far so good.

[redcliffsw]

Yes sir, that's a good post.  Ross, do you suppose the Elk County merchants understand?
Or will they keep pushing for their 'progressive community'?

[Ross]

Yes sir, that's a good post.  Ross, do you suppose the Elk County merchants understand?
Or will they keep pushing for their 'progressive community'?

I can't really say what they will do next. I won't even venture a guess.

But as I said about the County Commissioners meeting about the Konnected:

They were also informed that some of those groups can be recipients of county money through an extension office. Boy did the questions fly about that money from the small group. I believe, I heard over the din of noise, the number $48,000 of county taxpayers money is provide each year to that fund. I wonder will their focus now shift that direction?

And then it appeared to me that the Youth Development issue was no longer near as important as it was when they first started. That is just my take on what happened.

But, I think we still have some of that Konnected attitude of spend, spend going on at the West Elk School Board Meetings. And I have posted some of that information. I couldn't make it to the most recent meeting. But the one before that I attended seemed to generate a rumor about me. Which, I posted on here.

That was the meeting where it seemed that the board had started negotiations with the Church of God which is the new church building just north of the West Elk School grounds. I think the goal is possibly to lease the church as a second gymnasium. Another item suggested was for the school to help build a sidewalk between the school and church so the kids could walk over to the church. And the church said they might run a day care for the children after school, and promised to preaching to the children.
But I think it's a shame the school district does not provide the voters and taxpayers with a decent set of minutes that shows the conversations they have. To me, it resembles keeping secrets from the public.

Using COG instead of Church of God is a form of deception in my opinion.

I mean, if you were to enter the church for the first time would they greet you by saying welcome ro COG or would they welcome say welcome to the Church of God?
So, I ask why does the school board use COG?
Don't give me that crap of saving ink or saving paper or Convenience, that just wouldn't fly with me.

What is really going on? 

Is it a Konnected thing?

Why doesn't the school board provide the public with public information in the minutes as to what is going on?
Is it because they don't think we need to know?

Perhaps some of the better board members can straighten that out.
And get the information disseminated to the public. After all they are not a private company which is not required to disseminate information.

I think, I may discuss this form of secrecy with the State School board.
It is just a phone call or an e-mail away.

Citizens and taxpayers have rights and I would think being able to read more than just an outline and also be able to see the attachments to the minutes, to review what they are talking about. This could be easily accomplished.

Personally, I think it is high time for some transparency within the West Elk governing procedures.

Just my opinion, ignore them if you so desire.
In fact it might be a good idea to ignore my opinions.
And I won't be offended if you do.

[Mom70x7]

Is it a Konnected thing?

No, it's not anything to do with Elk Konnected. When the Assembly of God church first proposed building on highway, they talked with the school board about building and using a gymnasium. This was discussed several years ago, even before the discussions about closing the Moline and Severy schools. A need for a second gym was seen back then.

Using the Assemblies building for sports activities is old news.