I wish to express my concern with the tone of the proposal for a high school sports complex as voiced by Mr. Bull and published in the Feb. 21 paper. I am addressing the issue as it is portrayed in that article.
Specifically, the “take it or leave it” aspect of the proposition is raising red flags for me. I wish to point out that even if the Rotary Club should raise $1,000,000 that still would be only 20 percent of the funding of a $5,000,000 dollar facility. Please remember that the remaining 80 percent would be funded at taxpayer expense. I submit that it is the responsibility of the school board to ensure, first and foremost, that the wishes of the tax paying public are validated, and represented.
I submit that Oak Harbor School Board stands as a credible entity only as it serves to represent the entire community. The current school board’s credibility was also impuned in a separate letter to the editor in the Feb. 28 edition. That writer harkened back to board mistakes from the 1960’s! Give’em a break!
I do wish to commend the Rotary Club for their pro-active stance. I think it’s great when community minded organizations go out on a limb to improve our schools. I only hope that there would be a spirit of compromise in the details and scope of any plan. Indeed, it seems to me that without such a spirit, the proposal is doomed at the outset.
In regards to the statement that an “athletic facility is more important than a new high school,” I would caution the board to ascertain first if that is a true representation of the community at large. Indeed, if that does not reflect the community, then we might as well stop the process now, understanding that the proposition is ill-conceived and not passable at the polls.
Once again, I do laud the efforts of the Rotary Club. I know them to be positive players in Oak Harbor civic life. I do not wish in any way to demean their concerns and contributions. I wholeheartedly agree with them that we need to improve our facilities. I hope that their efforts can be incorporated into a broader plan for known capital needs in our school district.
Mike Radach
Oak Harbor
