Editor, the News-Herald:

Here we go again!

(&uot;Council Balks at CIP Plan&uot;, September 18, 2005)

I read Allison Williams’ article with great interest.

I served on the city’s Blue Ribbon Commission 10 years ago whose purpose was to study the capital needs of the school system.

The commission recommended 10 years ago that a new school be built in the southern end to replace aging Southwestern and Robertson.

Within these 10 years, our schoolchildren in the central and northern ends of the city have benefited from newly built, technologically advanced buildings to promote learning in the 21st century.

Does this continue to be the way that city council &uot;protects the rural charm&uot; of the southern end of the city?

Let’s see…no cable, no DSL, no sewer system, no water, and no modern school.

And one wonders why the population is declining in this area?

There is no connection to the world for these children who so desperately need it.

Council and the school board have been debating

the

building of one school in the southern end for 10 years now.

It makes no fiscal sense to build two smaller schools in &uot;villages&uot; that do no exit.

The majority of the students do not live in the &uot;villages&uot; of

Whaleyville or

Holland.

They live along

the numerous long and winding country roads.

This is an area where there is a least a 20-minute drive to the nearest grocery store.

The time has come to stop the debate and take action.

Build it, city council, and they will come.

They will come to a building where they develop a community. They will come to a building where the world is at their fingertips.

And they will no longer feel alienated and passed over.

Karla West

Suffol