The naming of the Barry County owned building once a U.S. Post Office and the Hastings Library and recently named the Cabinet Building, will be reconsidered by commissioners.

Commissioner Howard Gibson said Tuesday that after the commission voted to name the building, he heard from several constituents that they wanted a chance to make suggestions.

The rest of the commissioners agreed and decided on a 30-day period to hear names the public suggests.

 

If you have a name you want considered, WBCH has set up a section on our website for you to submit your choice.

Ideas for names should be sent to the county administrator’s office, and commissioners would likely pass along names that were offered.

There was no doubt whose name Fred Jacobs, publisher of J-Ad Graphics, would support for the building.

 

“Emil Tyden did more for Barry County than anyone in our history,” he said.

Using a borrowed $33,000 in the late 1860’s, Tyden brought in some friends and was credited with laying the foundation for manufacturing in Hastings for future companies: E.W. Bliss, Hastings Manufacturing, FlexFab, Hastings Reinforced Plastics, Hastings Fiberglass, Tyden Seal and Viking Corporation, all names important to Hastings and Barry County’s past and future, Jacobs said.

 

The building’s name should honor someone who not only had a future vision for the city, and worked to achieve it, but had “a phenomenal impact on Hastings.” Tyden was also well known for building businesses in Moline, Indiana, Chicago and Iowa, he added.

Other speakers agreed with Jacobs that the name should be for someone who made significant contributions to Barry County, “and to no one else.”

 

After the suggestions are collected, the commissioners will decide if they need an election by the public, or if the choice is obvious, they should make the decision on their own.