Editor:
This letter is in response to a newspaper article in the Albany Democrat-Herald on Feb. 14.
The article is about the Sweet Home School Board meeting on Feb. 12 and begins with information about what will be done with proceeds from timber sales. The trees discussed fell during the recent windstorm.
The comment that concerns me is that the money will probably go to the general school board fund. There have been previous discussions about logging these trees and using the proceeds to build a new track.
The current track conditions have been deemed unsafe for team practice, competition and even school physical education class by the school board. It has bare pavement in the inside two lanes, has tree roots growing up through it in one corner and numerous other cracks.
Because of this condition, all track meets have been at other schools for two seasons now. This causes loss of school revenue because of extra busing and students and athletes lose twice as much class time because they must leave early for travel. Parents and community members also do not have the opportunity to see the team compete unless they drive to away meets.
Though the current situation is not fair to current and past track athletes, monetary and moral issues need to be discussed also.
As mentioned above, the district must pay for extra busing and substitute teacher costs because all meets are away. In addition, local businesses lose all potential revenue that fans of other schools would spend in town while coming to meets.
With a new track, the school would have the ability to use the many tremendous resources available, which include numerous knowledgeable track fans to help staff and run meets, a tremendously organized athletic department, a potentially beautiful facility and many local businesses. These would be used to put on numerous large meets. Local hotels and restaurants would particularly benefit. Of course all of these points have been brought up before.
As most of you know, the Sweet Home School District recently passed a large bond measure, about $18 million, to make numerous repairs and build new facilities at the high school. Unfortunately, a second bond, about $3 million, for the track and pool narrowly failed.
This was split two bonds into two bonds because experts hired by the bond committee concluded that the community may not pass one large bond for everything so some things should be split off.
What was not taken into account was the fact that a group representing the interests of the track facility started the original bond initiative. The community was not even given the opportunity to pass the track bond without first passing the larger one.
It is time for the School District to show good faith to the community and put the money from the tree harvesting into the community track complex.
The Sweet Home taxpayers graciously passed a large bond measure for the district, so it is somewhat questionable whether the district should ask for another bond any time soon.
If the tree money were put toward a new track and included with what the athletic department has scraped together, nearly half of the money needed would be on hand.
Other schools have been able to raise money for track resurfacing using various means. Typically, grants from corporations and other organizations will match what the district puts in, so this money will be invaluable. With the money, it may be possible to raise the additional funds and begin construction within a calendar year.
As we all know, the State of Oregon is in a recession and we expected state funding for schools will be less than originally believed. Because of this, at the last board meeting, the School Board refused to designate where the tree income should go saying it wanted to see how the budget will come out.
In addition, Supt. Hampton said the money will probably go to the district general fund because of budget uncertainties. If this happens, the district will lose a golden opportunity to make amends to Coach Billy Snow and others for splitting the bond that they initiated.
In addition, the district can provide a community use facility at no additional taxpayer expense. What a fitting gift to a community that gave the district more than $18 million.
Rob Kassebaum
Sweet Home
Tree money should be used for new track
Editor:
As the head coach of the Sweet Home High School track and field team, I am in need of your assistance if you are willing to help. Before I get to my main point, I need to give a brief background of the problem.
As many of you are aware, the track at husky Stadium is in a severe state of disrepair. The current facility was constructed in the late 1960s. Since then, the condition of the facility has progressively deteriorated.
Requests for resurfacing and repair have been made repeatedly since at least the early 1980s. After requesting a replacement about five years ago, the track was condemned and has been closed to competition of four years, including this year.
This situation has numerous repercussions for our track kids and their families, the high school and junior track programs and our community.
Kids never have an opportunity to compete in front of a home crowd. Kids who have been with our program have been with our program for four years will graduate without ever having competed in their home town. Many parents cannot go watch away meets because of work schedules.
We have lost opportunities to host large meets that attract crowds to Sweet Home, including this year. Sweet Home did not host the district track meet when it came its turn to do so.
We also lost the opportunity to pick up some large invitational meets the last few years as schools moved to different classifications. We used to host the sub-district junior high school meet on an annual basis. Any associated income for local businesses is lost.
Additionally, the track programs cannot use the excitement of big meets to attract younger kids to the sport.
Also as a community, we hold many important events, for example, graduation, memorial services, etc., at this facility.
A decrepit facility is certainly not putting our best foot forward.
The situation is not fair to the kids, their families, the programs or the community.
A small group, including the Sweet Home Community Foundation, has been busy pecking away at various fund-raising activities and has about $18,000 or so set aside. The cost to fix the track and associated drainage problems in the adjacent fields is about $250,000. There is still a huge hill to climb.
The recent windstorm has presented the Sweet Home School District with an opportunity to correct this long-standing problem. The School Board has decided to log the trees surrounding the junior high. Some of those trees blew down during the storm. The decision yet to be made is what to do with that money. Obviously, I have some ideas.
I had some professionals from the community cruise the timber, completing their work just prior to the windstorm. At today’s prices, there is about $90,000 to $100,000 worth of timber there, excluding logging costs. It is my understanding that several community members have come forth and are willing to donate logging costs.
I believe that all of the money gained should go toward renovation of the track and associated drainage problems. The grants that we have tried to access all call for monetary input from the district and the community. The tree money would be the district’s input and the in-kind donation of labor from the community counts as cash from the community. It can be counted as such in the grant-writing process.
This would put the Track Renovation Committee well on the road to putting together the necessary funding required to complete this project. Not only will this right a long-standing problem, it will allow the district to develop the fields below the junior high, which are needed with the loss of fields near the high school due to construction there.
Here’s where I need your help if you are willing. What I have to do is get a majority of the board to agree to put this money toward this project. I need anyone and everyone who is willing to write a letter to or contact the School Board or Supt. Bill Hampton, asking that the money from the trees go toward the track renovation project.
The request doesn’t need to be long and certainly not negative. This is not an invitation to criticize the district, school board or individuals. We need to convince the School Board that the project is worthwhile and that by putting this money toward this project, the Sweet Home School District will fix a long-standing problem and will be leveraging the money to get more financing via grants.
The community recently passed a large bond to build new facilities and repair old ones within he district. The money from the trees represents a one-time influx of money for the district. This does not present a permanent solution for any funding problems due to budgetary challenges associated with the current state recession and budget crisis. Using this money to develop a new track and athletic fields for the community and district would be a fitting gift to a community that just recently awarded the district more than $18 million.
If you are willing, please write and send the letter as soon as possible. I expect the district to discuss this issue at the next School Board meeting, March 11, and to act on the designation of the funds. My fear is that the money will end up in the general fund, and the opportunity is gone at that point.
Addresses will appear at the end of this letter.
If you have any questions, I am more than willing discuss any of this with you at any time.
On behalf of the track program, coaches, athletes, families and the community, thank you.
Billy Snow
Sweet Home
Milt Moran
School Board Chairman
C/O Sweet Home School District 55
1920 Long St.
Sweet Home, OR 97386
Bill Hampton
Superintendent
Central Office, District 55
1920 Long St.
Sweet Home, OR 97386