To the editor:
I read with great interest Board Member Jack Davidson's reaction to the offer by Unity Church to buy the district's old headquarters for $905,000. Davidson said that the offer was "ridiculous and insulting." Indeed, any member who voted for the proposal would be "derelict in their duty to the taxpayers and citizens." Why? Because, according to Davidson's own argument, the board had already poured about $910,000 (in 1991 dollars) into a facility that serves little purpose and, but for a temporary occupancy created by Raintree Montessori's misfortune, generates no revenues. Now, all of a sudden, this facility, which has been on the market for months, is the answer to the district's need to expand what is euphemistically called an alternative high school.
Well, as a taxpayer and citizen I would like to have a little more information before deciding just who has been derelict in their duty to me and my fellow citizens. Perhaps Mr. Davidson could answer some quesitons for us.
How much money does the building cost the taxpayers every day it sits vacant or underutilized?
Why has the building been so underutilized?
If the building was really needed for an alternative high school, why was it on the market rather than housing the alternative high school? Why is Mary Loveland only now calling for the district to study the possibility of moving its alternative high school?
What was the asking price for the facility? An initial offer of $905,000 for a building that is, has been and will continue to be a burden on the citizens who Mr. Davidson would protect doesn't seem insulting to me. Did the district make a counteroffer?
Has the district had any other, premsumably non-insulting, offers? If not, why does Mr. Davidson think the building is worth so much more than the Unity offer?
Many other questions come to mind, including some about the wisdom of creating a space to enable alternative education. But the answers to these questions should help citizens and taxpayers decide who is and is not derelict in their duty.
Pete Rowland,
Lawrence
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