Editor:
As a proud member of the Sweet Home community and our beloved Mid-Valley, and as chair of the Linn-Benton Community College Board of Education, I ask you to please vote “yes” on the LBCC bond measure.
Passing the LBCC bond means directly connecting our local students with educational opportunities and support that lead to community growth. Central to this bond is the construction of a new Agriculture Education Center for the valley.
Though LBCC ag programs are some of the most relied-upon training by ranching families throughout the state, our current facilities are so cramped and dilapidated that students must train off-site.
What’s more, there is no ability to expand to offer crop and soil production programs central to local industry, or to offer a veterinary technician path that would lead to Oregon State University.
At the same time, the agriculture industry in our area is in desperate need for trained, technical workers. LBCC is the only institution able to offer a two-year pathway to these kinds of critical jobs. A new Ag Center would not only achieve these goals, but provide a central community resource for 4-H, FFA, and equine groups — all of which are important to our rural communities.
The LBCC bond would also renovate a childcare center on campus to support parents attending school, and provide a contemporary facility to train future childhood education students.
At just 7 cents per $1,000 dollars of assessed value, or about $2 a month, a “yes” vote opens up an unprecedented $8 million investment from the state legislature specifically for the Ag Center – a game-changing opportunity.
A “yes” vote on Measure 22-190 and Linn-Benton Community College is simply a “yes” vote for our community’s future.
Please join me in supporting the LBCC Bond!
Kristin Adams
LBCC Board Chair
Sweet Home