Gift requires a closer look

Let’s take inventory.
Redkey already has two town halls, the new one that used to be the Redkey Post of the Indiana State Police and the old one, where meetings of the town council are still held because the meeting room is a better size.
Redkey also has two police stations, the current one that’s part of the state police post and the old one in the former town hall.
If a grant proposal is successful, Redkey might one day have two fire stations, the current one in a historic old building and a new one that the grant is intended to help pay for.
And now MainSource Bank, which is closing its Redkey branch, is offering the town its bank building. Someone has suggested using it as a senior citizens’ center, but Redkey already has a senior citizens’ center.
Isn’t a pattern developing here?
Obviously, we’re not the only ones who think so.
Redkey Town Council members wisely reacted with a “whoa” when the idea of accepting the bank building surfaced last week.
They raised all the right questions: What would the building be used for? Does the town need it? What would the upkeep and utility costs be? And does it make sense to remove another property from the tax rolls?
If ever there were an issue where the advice “go slowly” made sense, this is it.
This particular gift horse needs a careful look in the mouth. — J.R.[[In-content Ad]]