There’s been a lot of gittin’ ‘r’ done in the air around Sweet Home recently.
We’ve seen remarkable performances from the Capitol Christmas Tree organizers, local enterpreneurs who have taken local business enterprise to new heights, and other acts of kindness and community involvement.
Our public schools and our city government are getting things done too.
As we reported Nov. 21, Supt. Tom Yahraes and classified association president Velma Canfield, along with her local team, got to work quickly this year and hammered out a really reasonable three-year contract from just about every angle in less than two months – without a bunch of hired-gun lawyers sitting across the table, fueling tense debates over what funds the district may or may not have and who should get them.
From the sounds of things, everyone’s happy. We can be thankful.
Over the past couple of years, we’ve seen a lot of adjustments in the district, most notably the return to the five-day week last year, with old and new staff working together from numerous angles to improve the bottom line. We think it’ll have a positive impact on our students’ academic achievement.
The district’s maintenance staff are stepping up in ways they never have. They’re building playgrounds and the Husky Field sign. Under the direction of Josh Darwood, formerly a private-sector contractor, they’re remodeling our old schools (see page 1). They’re demolishing old buildings to make way for new buildings. They’re keeping the cost of the district’s capital projects lower.
Business Manager Kevin Strong laid the groundwork years ago, guiding the board toward refinancing options that allowed Sweet Home voters to approve a $4 million bond levy and receive a $4 million matching with little impact to taxpayers in relation to the original terms of the district’s 2001 bond levy.
This list can go on and on. A lot of folks are working on a lot of interesting things in the district. We’ve covered a lot of it, and frankly, it’s hard to remember every detail.
Sure, there are situations in which improvements could or must be made – we’d like to see history instruction in the lower grades, for example. The state doesn’t focus on that in testing, so we probably don’t think about it enough. But overall, the district seems to be heading in a very good direction.
Staff members haven’t been messing around. When something needs to be done, they’ve gotten to work.
The city is functioning similarly. That’s particularly visible in Public Works, where maintenance workers are innovating cost-effective ways to solve problems, from grouting manholes to picking up leaves – from the street. That’s a service we’ve never seen in Sweet Home.
Staff members rigged up the equipment for both of these projects themselves, saving money. We hope that those who deserve it receive the recognition they should.
Now we learn we’ve got another problem, one that hasn’t really been on the public’s radar for years: leaky pipes. As we report on page 1, though, city staffers are on it. Staff members have shut down several leaks, including one belching 14,000 gallons, more than $125 worth, per day and another at 28,000 gallons, worth more than $250 per day.
A contractor is seeking out leaks throughout the system, and Public Works is creating a crew that will repair those leaks and work on them weekly in house, again saving money.
The city has sent resources into the parks, and they’re making real improvements in them. Anyone who hasn’t yet done so ought to go take a look.
We know very well that the city isn’t perfect. It’s still charging property owners when tenants stiff the city on water and sewer bills just like many or most other public utilities. Sweet Home still has the highest combined tax rate in the county. It does have problems. And we’re going to continue to bring them up. That’s our job.
But like the district, the city is making headway on a number of other problems.
We spend a lot of time pointing out our government agencies’ shortcomings and annoying practices, but sometimes it’s not that way. And we should appreciate it.