Need more information about fields

Thursday, 19 November 2009 00:00

To the Editors:

With the vote on the fields approaching, we should be mindful of costs incurred and future costs. This is not an attempt to question if we need the fields — they would be an asset to the district — but it is a question of the “transparency” of the process our school district and board took to get here.

The vote will cost $15,000 (on top of $15,000 we will spend later in the year when we vote for the budget). Lawyers and experts in fields, landscaping, and others have been contracted and paid for service. Staff time and staff reimbursements have been made (including things like mileage for attending meetings) and there is the public relations efforts, printing, postage, and more.

None of this money comes from funds designated to build the fields and improve the music area of the high school. Additionally, those funds will not go to maintain the fields once they are built. What is the long-term costs of keeping up this additional property? Is there additional insurance? Are taxes going to rise to replace the funds from the original account the field/music facility upgrade funds came from?

There are many questions and there is a great amount of money on the table that has not been addressed. We are potentially looking at finding, or replacing millions of dollars. This is not to say we should not spend it, but we should have the entire picture as we go to the polls to make that decision.

ROBERT KESTEN

South Salem, Nov. 16

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