Money is like water

I know that those serving on the [community center] steering committee are acting with the best interests of our community at heart. However, I see a couple of problems with the project so far.

First is the “something for everybody” approach. I understand politics and consensus-building, but this has created an out-ofcontrol monster. Maybe everybody doesn’t need to get “something” out of every public project. There are public facilities that I make little or no use of, but they are important to others. We shouldn’t expect to have “something in it for us” every time. Maybe a number of smaller projects would be more appropriate.

Second is the notion that we have this 1% tax “found money” so we need to find a hole in the ground to pour it into. I know there are restrictions on what this tax money can be used for. Rather than using it for something that is almost entirely “for us”–after all, hardly anybody from Schroeder is likely to drive to Grand Marais to use the center, never mind the Twin Cities, Chicago, etc.—we should look for projects within the scope defined for these funds that will enhance our county’s appeal to visitors and create additional attractions.

It’s the difference between spending and investing. Spending this money on what I’m sure would be a fine community center will just create a sink for more spending over its life to support and maintain it. Investing the 1% tax money in things that our guests will want to use can help draw more guests to the area, to spend more money here, and continue to fund even more 1% tax projects.

Money only has value when it’s in motion. It’s the “money is like water” theory. Water poured into a hole in the ground turns stagnant or soaks in and dries up without accomplishing much of anything other than breeding mosquitoes. But water in motion can power mills to process lumber or grain, weave textiles, and spin turbines to generate electricity. Water in motion carved the Grand Canyon!

Like water, money only has value when it moves. If you bury a $100 in a box in the back yard, 10 years later you can dig it up and it will be worth, at most, $100. That same money, put into motion by investing it in things that will generate more money, will return a lot more value than just the initial funds.

We should look for projects that will encourage people to visit who otherwise wouldn’t, stay longer when they do, and return more often. Projects like that would multiply the value of the 1% tax and benefit all of us a lot more than another meeting space, gym, or swimming pool.

John Mianowski

Grand Marais