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To the Albert Lea school board vote on Monday.

Thank you to the Albert Lea school board, who voted 7-0 Monday to expand the open forum portion of board meetings and allow for 30 minutes of public input, up from 10 minutes in previous meetings. Each person who signs up to speak will receive up to two minutes each.

In the event that more than 15 people sign up to speak, members of the public will be chosen at random to speak through an electronic randomizer before the meeting.

These new guidelines will allow for more members of the public to share their opinions, and we hope that moving forward, people will be able to do so in a constructive manner.

Voice concerns but also try to bring solutions — and remember to do so in a respectful manner.

To the person who dumped a couch into the water near Brookside Boat Landing.

We were disappointed to see the report given to Albert Lea police in the last week that someone had dumped a couch into the water near Brookside Boat Landing and fled.

With all that is being done to dredge Fountain Lake, adding trash — let alone a large piece of furniture — to the lake is simply appalling.

City officials have talked about adding another reduced-price day to dispose of trash, old furniture and other debris for residents at the city’s transfer station and demolition landfill, and we hope that comes to fruition. In turn, we encourage people to take advantage of opportunities such as that to clean up their properties and get rid of things at a lower cost.

It takes all of us to make our community a beautiful place, and we hope that the people who are detracting from that effort will realize that what they do matters.

To teachers, staff, administration and first responders for their efforts during the evacuation of Lakeview Elementary School after a bomb threat Thursday.

Thank you to all who helped in the response Thursday at Lakeview Elementary School after a bomb threat came into the school.

Teachers and staff should be commended for helping calmly evacuate the children, for working to reunite students with the parents who came to pick up their children and for maintaining an environment that any parent should be proud to have their children be a part of.

Thank you to school and district administration also for their leadership and for the swift communication with parents on this incident.

We also thank local law enforcement and first responders who quickly resolved the situation. They provided yet another example of bravery and protecting the community from a potentially dangerous situation.

We are grateful the situation ended as it did, and that is thanks to many.

To the Lake Mills girls volleyball team.

Congratulations to the Lake Mills girls volleyball team for its win over Forest City Tuesday night, which helped them win the Top of Iowa West Conference title for another year.

The Bulldogs have won the title for 16 out of the past 18 years, and it is exciting to witness.

Hats off to all the players on this year’s team, and of course to head coach, Jim Boehmer, and others who have helped mold the Lake Mills volleyball program into what it is today.

Not only is the win great for the school and the team, but it’s great for the community.