Barb: The decision by the Dickinson County Fair Board to proceed with the demolition of the historic concession building, despite clear and repeated public opposition, raises serious concerns about transparency, accountability and respect for the community the board is supposed to serve.

Given the seriousness of this decision, the public is entitled to full disclosure of information used to justify demolition. If the fair board has relied on engineering reports, structural assessments, cost analyses, or other documentation to support its decision, why haven’t they just released them so the public can understand why they made the decision to demolish the building?

On good authority, I have been informed that a Freedom of Information request was filed and it shows no documentation was ever submitted to justify this action. Also it was reported at the last county board meeting that the county’s building inspector was never contacted to inspect the building.

Equally troubling is the apparent failure to seriously pursue restoration alternatives. Again, there is no documentation that the fair board even considered seeking addition funding to keep this historic building a part of our fair. Funding sources exist today that did not exist years ago, including public grants, community fund raising and other revenue sources like the Marijuana Tax, that communities across Michigan are using to restore historic structures rather than destroying them.

Before taking the wrecking ball to a historic building, the fair board has an obligation to demonstrate the preservation was honestly and thoroughly explored. It has not done its due diligence in looking at restoration.

The county commissioners, who are ultimately responsible for monitoring the actions of the fair board, also remained silent. It is also worth noting that a recent Facebook post would have you believe that three engineers have inspected the building and determined it needed to be demolished. Likewise, they stated in their Facebook post that the fair board has discussed the matter for many meetings. These claims are totally false and aim to discredit efforts to make the county board and the fair board responsive to citizen input.

It is not too much to expect our county governing boards to act with integrity, honesty and a willingness to listen to its residents.

Leadership is not measured by how quickly something can be decided. It is measured by the willingness to listen, to be transparent and to protect our heritage. The citizens of Dickinson County deserve nothing less.