I write this letter of support as a property owner and taxpayer in Tofte for more than 30 years. Although I do not live in Tofte right now, I am aware of what is going on in the township, as well as Lutsen, Schroeder and Cook County in general. My daughter and her family reside at our family’s homestead and are active in the community. I look forward to the day when I am able to spend more time there again.
Having raised my children there, I am intimately familiar with the challenges of providing the needs for daycare, preschool and elementaryage children. After moving, I also know the value of the educational and personal foundation they received at Birch Grove.
The people of the West End of Cook County have worked very hard, for as long as the school has been there, to meet the needs of our children. I would encourage everyone to work together to find creative solutions for the challenges that are before you right now. Build on the successes of the generations before you. Don’t give up. My dad used to say, “When the going gets tough, the tough get going.”
I am not a registered voter in Tofte right now, but if I were I would cast my vote in favor of a permanent line item in the township budget in support of Birch Grove Community School. The programs and projects that are under development for the seniors are wonderful and will serve that segment of the population nicely. But in Tofte, the West End of the county and all around the world, the future is the children. Invest in the future.
Mary Somnis
Virginia, Minnesota
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