Problem solvers rock! Nobody got successful, invented something useful or did anything worth remembering by saying “It has always been done this way” or pointing out why something won’t work. Our most noble achievements were from people who said, “Why not?” and figured out how.

Looking at the possibilities instead of complaining about the reasons to say no is something that a few people in our community should learn, and we have a few too many people in authority in this community that don’t know the difference between problem solving and saying no. Being a leader means you listen to ideas, determine if there’s a benefit and figuring out how to overcome hurdles to smooth the way for great things to happen!

When a group wanted to do something good and generous for our community by organizing the splash pad, a handful of people complained about the location and the traffic. I’m glad the organizers didn’t let them derail this project, because it’s a gem! My daughter loves laughing and playing there and it’s delightful to see all the kids making memories and enjoying life every time I drive by on a nice summer day.

Now we have a couple of guys that are working hard to get a marina located on Bridge Street in a great location that many of us that boat would love to have access to. This is a tremendous idea and I support it wholeheartedly! The main concern that I can certainly understand is the traffic and pedestrian concerns. We already have numerous pedestrians in that area that cross the street. A marina wouldn’t increase auto traffic in any notable way. This is already a concern in that area that needs to be addressed and I’m confident a solution can be found that will be beneficial to all that doesn’t involve relocating the marina. The marina, as proposed by Bill Howe and Josh Orchard and featured in a recent Tribune article, would be beneficial right where it’s been proposed. I’ve heard another group propose putting it near the city beach, but that offers no realistic benefit to anybody. Boaters already have a dock or can land their boats on the sandy shore, there are no businesses to support and no benefit to locate it there, just because they don’t want to find a creative solution to the traffic.

As my wife and I left Cabin Coffee this morning and sat at a frustratingly congested Bridge intersection, it’s easy to see there is already a problem to address in this location, and city leaders who don’t want to address it and nix a project because they’re not willing to do their job are doing a disservice to our community when they try to dissuade this project from happening here. When somebody proposes a new project for this community, a few in charge want to shoot it down and say it won’t work rather than problem solving and helping these projects come to fruition. Let’s change that!

Brad Kramer

Albert Lea