To whom it might concern,
I find the local media coverage on the proposed school bond issue has been rather lacking. What do I mean by this? There have been several community meeting on the subject where people like me could voice any questions and concerns on the subject.
Having missed all these meetings, I have been looking to the local media to give details on the topics that were discused at said meetings. What we get from the local media is a short piece about it was sparsely attended, who the presenters were, and a brief overview of the general topic. When I talk to others, mostly I get told that I should have gone to one of these meetings.
So how am I going to make up my mind, if I do not have all the facts? It seems they (the powers that be in the school district) might be trying to hide something. More than likely it’s that they do not have all the answers, or have not thought it all the way out.
Here are some of the questions and concerns that I have on the subject:
Have they any idea of the footprint it will have.? (Single story vs multistory). What is going into the HS and what is going into the Iowa Central Community College (ICCC) building? (ie, is the school going to have any sort of industrial arts space, or is that all moving to the other side of the parking lot in the ICCC building?) Are they going to put in green technologies? (Since I started writing this, I see in a media report that the final drawings of the project will not be done till after the vote. To me this is like being arrested and told that you will be executed tomorrow, and sometime next year we will have a trial.)
Is buying the land for the new HS part of the bond issue? What is the price tag of the land? (This might have been published, but I am not sure under what heading.)
They are making a big deal about how the gym will be paid for with private funds. Then they insert a throw away line about how the Performing Ars Center will also be funded the same way. I want more details about how this will work. From the very beginning of all the recent bond issues that have been presented, they have known down to the penny what this gym will cost with all the bells and whistles that they want, but have been hard pressed to know what other aspects of the total project will cost, or even look like.
My fear is that I win the lottery and give $5 million for the Performing Arts Center and only the Performing Arts Center. The powers that be will pull a fast one of spend $50 thousand on a crappy space, use the bulk on the gym and place the rest in the general slush fund to waste as they see fit.
(Again, since I started writing this, I see several groups or
individuals have pledged funds to this project.)
This is only a start of the questions or concerns that I have on the subject. I would love to see a Q&A where someone in the know sat down with the local media and addressed these questions as well as others questions that people like me might have.
Clay Ross, Jefferson
