S-N Editorial

It’s happening in Hartley

It seems like you can’t drive two blocks in Hartley without running into construction of some sort – not that anyone is complaining.

There’s a ton of progress taking place right now in the City With a Heart. The first building is being constructed in the new industrial park, ground has broken on the new pool and the city’s emergency services building is getting a roof upgrade. That’s not to mention the new playground at the daycare and road resurfacing work that took place last month. Oh, and don’t forget planned surface upgrades on Highway 18 and the water tower’s fresh paint job coming later this summer. What did we forget?

Hartley is buzzing right now. The recent improvements come on the back of previous investments from past years like the new elementary school, upgrades at Fanning Field, Patch-Eeten House barn and new digital sign on Highway 18. These were all positive steps for Hartley and the surrounding area, and they made the community that much more attractive for potential new families.

There’s still more to look forward to this year. Hartley’s Summer Celebration is barreling down the pike and the former Stoplight Lounge is undergoing a massive renovation project, which will give locals another dining option once it opens in the fall. Boring times these are not.

It’s special to be a part of a community that’s so commited in making the future brighter. The recent progress in town has been fun to watch, and Hartleyites can feel proud to call the city home.

Look how far we’ve come

You may have a hard time remembering everything that took place since March of 2020. Put simply, there wasn’t really that much to remember.

The pandemic placed the ultimate trump card on life as we knew it. Everything with people involved was canceled and we missed out on many cherished traditions in the name of public safety. Regulations on what to wear over our faces and how many people we should be around fluctuated constantly, and in lieu of risking illness, many people just stayed home.

What a difference a year makes. Thanks to the success of the COVID-19 vaccines, even the most lockdown-minded states have reopened for business. Life is back to normal here in Iowa and it feels good to be able to go out and do things again.

The ability to “open up” is a product of many forces. The Trump Administration’s Operation Warp Speed helped partner public and private entities to expedite vaccine development, while the Biden Administration developed a solid roadmap to rollout doses. All the while, the country’s health care workers and other frontline employees had to hold the line and fight the good fight while the pandemic raged on. Every American is indebted to their commitment and service.

Though everything is mostly as it was before March of 2020, we’re still not in the clear. New COVID-19 variants will continue creating outbreaks in communities with high populations of unvaccinated individuals. While unfortunate, there’s not much public health officials and politicians can do on a macro level to move the needle. There has been a rabid misinformation campaign against these vaccines and it’s unlikely that wall can be penetrated at this point – the people who wanted the vaccine got it, and the ones that didn’t aren’t going to get it. It is what it is and vaccination rates will probably stay close to where they are now for the foreseeable future.

The past year and a half has been beyond tumultuous. Everyone knows someone who died or experienced severe complications because of COVID-19, and we shouldn’t forget that. However, it is OK to reflect back on how far we’ve come to get to this point. We’re as close to normal as we’ve been for a long time, and it feels pretty darn good.