[Vision2020] Vote NO on the school levy

Wed Apr 6 14:06:46 PDT 2005

Ok, you have some good questions but I have a few for you - where have you 
been all these months that this has been on the table?  Have you attended 
any of the School Board Meetings where these questions could have been/may 
have been brought up for answers?  Do you take part in ANY of the School 
Board meetings throughout the year?  There is one scheduled each and every 
month, usually around the 25th of the month.  See you there?

What really bothers me is that some people wait until the 11th hour to get 
their questions asked, much less answered.  It's not like any of this has 
been hidden.  Get involved with your schools NOW; don't wait until a vote or 
an issue comes to a head.  Visit the schools, talk to the teachers, talk to 
your kids, call the Board members, call the District Office - DO SOMETHING 
positive and get the information before you advocate for one side or 
another.

Also, a lot of your questions could be answered by you calling the County 
Assessors Office.  Again, this would require YOU doing some of the work, but 
since YOU are the one asking...seems only fair.

And finally, would you want your child in a good school building that does 
not have to continually be band-aided or one that will last a great deal 
longer?  Last I heard and saw, VW's quit a whole lot sooner than a Mercades, 
even after a whole lot of "extra" costs are poured into it.  Keeping up with 
the Jones does not mean the same as keeping up with the rest of the world - 
we're talking education here, not who has the brightest new toy.

>From: "Shelly" <CJs at Turbonet.com>
>To: <VISION2020 at MOSCOW.COM>
>Subject: [Vision2020] Vote NO on the school levy
>Date: Wed, 6 Apr 2005 13:13:03 -0700 (Pacific Standard Time)
>
>Visioneers,
>
>I believe Moscow Tax payers need some questions answered so we can make
>common sense decisions regarding the proposed school levy which we will be
>voting on at the end of this month.
>
>1) How many members of the CQE voted to promote this levy to pass and how
>many voted against it?
>
>2) Was UoI approached for any available, possible building sites for a new
>high school? If so, who decided they were not appropriate building sites?
>
>3) What has been the selling price for other blocks/parcels of undeveloped
>farmland (comparables) in the Trail property area?
>
>4) How much value is going to be added to the adjacent land of the new high
>school property when the infrastructure is added? At whose expense will 
>that
>be? Who will profit from this? Can residential developers piggyback on 
>these
>new city services paid for by MSD taxpayers? Development is inevitable in
>Moscow, But why should the tax payers subsidize it?
>
>5) Will the Trail land site be appraised? Will the appraisal be available 
>to
>the public? Will it be appraised at it's current zoning or at an "assumed"
>zoning change?
>
>6) Is the Trail property zoned as agriculture? Is the going price for
>agriculture dirt between $2,000.00 and $2,500.00 per acre pending it's
>production?
>
>7) What portion of the Trail 40 acres is in a flood zone, flood plain or
>wetlands? What is the cost to raise the proposed building above the flood
>plain? Are there any rules against building in a flood zone, flood plain or
>wetlands? If not, what is the added cost to build in such an area? In other
>words, will there be 40 "useable" acres of the Trail property? Also, is
>there any flood land or wetland in a close proximity to this Trail 
>property?
>
>8) How much of the 40 acres of the Trail property will be utilized "solely"
>for the "building only" of the new high school? What are the plans for the
>remaining acreage? Are those plans included in this levy?
>
>9) Who is "funding" the CQE in their promotion efforts to pass this levy 
>and
>who has been spearheading their campaign? According to state campaign laws,
>can a school district campaign "for" a school bond/levy election?
>
>10) Was the bid for the "renovation" of the present high school to "fix it"
>or "re[place it?" Could the cost be any lower? WHY is the cost of building 
>a
>new high school LESS than fixing the old one? Are they bidding it as though
>they were gutting it and not re-using anything or to simply "improve" the
>existing structure? Most people, when they have a leaky toilet, replace the
>toilet, rather than gut the entire house to the walls and do a complete
>remodel.
>
>11) Although the Facilities Committee voted in October of 2001 to replace
>three of the district's schools, (West Park Elementary, Russell Elementary,
>and the High School, the Matrix Report contains data that contradict those
>choices. The Matrix Group conducted a "physical analysis" of each building
>using a nationally recognized "Building Condition Evaluation System." This
>generated a score for each building, measured against the following scale:
>
>100-80 No renovation necessary
>
>79-60 Minor renovation needed
>
>59-40 Major renovation needed
>
>39-0 Replacement recommended
>
>The buildings received the following scores:
>
>McDonald Elementary 87 "No renovation necessary"
>
>Junior High Field House 70 "Minor renovation needed"
>
>Junior High (main building) 61 "Minor renovation needed"
>
>High School 60 "Minor renovation needed"
>
>Lena Whitmore Elementary 52 "Major renovation needed"
>
>West Park Elementary 49 "Major renovation needed"
>
>Russell Elementary 46 "Major renovation needed"
>
>Thus, according to the district's own consultants, none of the districts 
>own
>buildings is in the 0-39 range where replacement would be recommended. 
>Three
>elementary schools are in the 4-59 range where "major renovation" is
>indicated. The High School is at the bottom of the 60-79 range where "minor
>renovation" is indicated.
>
>Please note, also, that according to this data, "three" elementary schools
>are in greater need of renovation than the high school, Whereas the
>Facilities Committee voted in August 2002 to propose a bond levy in
>September 2003 for the HIGH SCHOOL ONLY.
>
>http://www.moscowfons.org/condition1.htm
>
>12) Where has all the money gone from the previous tax money collected? AKA
>maintenance and operating levies? Wasn't it supposed to go to "fixing" the
>deteriorated high school?
>
>13) What percent of this levy will cover "increased costs" of repairs and
>insurance?
>
>14) Was the cost of the "security fence" (required in the Trail land
>acquisition) added in to this levy?
>
>http://www.moscowfons.org/trail_2.htm
>
>15) Will the Trail property that is "gifted" to the school district become
>the school district's sole and separate? Or, will the Trail Foundation 
>still
>own the dirt and have control OVER the school district?
>
>16) Who pays if the building cost goes over budget? I am reminded of the
>1912 building.
>
>17) How much of the 20 million-dollar levy is going towards books and
>computers and greatly needed teaching supplies for the high school? NOT FLY
>RODS AND CAMPING TRIPS AND LIFE JACKETS FOR THE UPCOMMING RAIN SEASON!
>Remember we are on some wetlands here.
>
>18) Why would we want a Mercedes (and the cost to maintain it) when new
>spark plugs in our Volkswagon would work just fine? Do we, as a community
>need to expend our collective tax dollars just to "keep up with the Jones?"
>
>19) Are MSD tax payers willing to pay for extending city services to this
>new site, which likely will include a half mile connector street (from the
>end of East D Street to Mountain View Road) at costs exceeding $1 million?
>Are tax payers willing to pay for subsequent improvements to D and F 
>Streets
>and North Mountain View Road needed to address safety issues related to
>increases in auto, bus, bicycle and pedestrian traffic? Are residents of
>northeast Moscow ready for traffic congestion and safety concerns?
>
>http://www.moscowfons.org/miller_letter.htm
>
>20) Where can I get signs, banners, posters and flyers to VOTE NO ON MORE
>TAXES.
>
>Phil Roderick,
>gone "fly" fishing
>
>
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