Here are this week’s letters to the editor of the Herald Times Reporter. See our letters policy below for details about how to share your views.
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Thank you, John Durbrow
As John Durbrow steps away from his fabulous Van der Brohe Arboretum in Two Rivers, I want to publicly express the immense gratitude so many of us feel for his gift to our community.
John’s vision for the arboretum was innovative and ambitious from the start. In addition to his primary goal of turning an abandoned golf course into a bird sanctuary, he also envisioned a human sanctuary, a beautiful and peaceful space where visitors could walk quiet trails and escape the chaos of everyday life.
His enthusiasm has inspired others to jump in. The Master Gardeners of Manitowoc County designed five of the Franciscan Gardens at trail intersections. Professional gardeners and groundskeepers have volunteered their time to maintain the property. The West Foundation has awarded significant grants for buildings and equipment. And many members of our community have donated generously to sponsor gardens, architectural art and even an osprey nest.
The arboretum is particularly noteworthy because Manitowoc County is John and Karen’s adopted home — they moved here for retirement. Rather than traveling the world, as many do, they decided to invest their time and money in a wonderful project that directly and significantly benefits our community, our wildlife and our environment.
Thank you, John, for all the time, effort and resources you have poured into this amazing space. You have created something very special that will live on for many future generations to enjoy. Countless species of birds, insects and native plantings send their unspoken thanks as well.
Steve Lankton
Manitowoc
Show your support for equal education
It was very gratifying to read the Herald Times Reporter article of June 12 that Manitowoc Franklin Elementary School has been named a “High Impact” school by the state for achievement and growth of all students, particularly those from economically disadvantaged backgrounds.
This does not happen without a lot of work. Kudos to Matt Heller, principal, who commended students, staff and families for their collaboration in increasing reading and math scores.
Congratulations to students, principals, teachers and parents who have made this happen.
However, as Lee Thennes, superintendent of the Manitowoc Public School District, stated in his commentary of June 23: “It is essential that the state of Wisconsin address their long-standing unmet obligation of funding two-thirds of local special education services.” Our state has the funds to do it. Local property taxes, the least liked and most difficult to bear of all taxes, are unequally forced onto local taxpayers. Lower-income communities struggle to compete with higher-income communities for the same educational outcome. This should not be seen as a political partisan issue. Quality education should be available to all children, regardless of where they live. This will help equalize the educational outcomes for all students.
Contact your state representatives and Gov. Evers to show your support for equal education.
Darlene Wellner
Manitowoc
Snatching defeat from the jaws of victory
Nov. 15, 2021: The Broadband Equity, Access and Deployment program was created to provide $42.45 billion to expand high-speed internet in the U.S., focusing on underserved and unserved primarily rural areas. Wisconsin’s share was around $1 billion, and Manitowoc County was to get approximately $10 million.
June 6, 2025: The BEAD policy notice significantly rewrites the rules of the $42.45 billion BEAD program just as states and territories were preparing to implement their plans.
“BEAD’s new policy notice invalidates final proposals, prioritizes cost over community, and generates immense sunk costs,” according to Dr. Alexis D. Schrubbe, director of the Internet Equity Initiative at the University of Chicago’s Data Science Institute.
Low lights of the revised rules:
Technology
Before: Biased toward low citizen cost, high-speed (100-year lifetime) fiber optic cable connections
After: Technology neutral: short-term technology, high citizen cost and low-speed fixed wireless, cable and satellite now eligible
Scoring
Before: Emphasized affordability, fair labor practices, community engagement
After: Primary focus is installation cost per location. Fair labor rules, equality of access and open access (monopoly competition) requirements stripped out
For three years, state plans were finalized, contractor installation equipment was purchased, people were hired — and now it all comes to a screeching halt. Historically ineffective federal mandates now override more effective state-created programs. Lawsuits will likely drag this out for years.
Let your elected representatives know you want a decent, future-proof and affordable internet connection, and are not willing to settle for second-class citizenship.
Michael F. Pitsch
Francis Creek
Our letters policy
Letters to the editor are published in the order in which they are received and letter-writers are limited to having one letter published per month. Letters can be emailed to htrnews@htrnews.com and Editor Brandon Reid at breid@gannett.com. Letters must meet specific guidelines, including being no more than 250 words and be from local authors or on topics of local interest. All submissions must include the name of the person who wrote the letter, their city of residence and a contact phone number. Letters are edited as needed for style, grammar, length, fairness, accuracy and libel.
This article originally appeared on Manitowoc Herald Times Reporter: Manitowoc letters thank arboretum founder, address education funding