[Vision2020] Why should we close West Park?

[Donovan Arnold]

Mr. Rigsby,

You ask, “Where do you suggest we send the children of the students of the 
University of Idaho if MSD decides to close West Park?”

Tim, if you listened to my argument you would understand we would send them 
to the new school.

“Wouldn't closing West Park put even more financial burden on the students 
at UI whose children attend West Park?”

University of Idaho Students who reside on campus do not pay property taxes. 
So, the answer to that questions would be no. Also it would cost the same. 
We are just trading the value of the land for a quality building.


“What about the inconvenience that closing West Park would create for these 
students whose children attend West Park?”

Most the children that attend West Park are bussed in from outside the city 
of Moscow. It would actually be easier for them to not have to drive through 
the traffic of the University which creates more traffic congestion in an 
area with many pedestrians.


“I thought you cared about people that suffer from a lower income or live on 
a fixed income.  Some of the lowest income families in town are the ones who 
live in married student housing or have children that attend school while 
they pursue either undergrad or graduate degrees at UI.”

Yes, Family Housing was one of my living groups for two years. I had 
received many complaints from parents about their kindergarteners having to 
be educated inside the University and the dangers of their children having 
to cross 6th street on the way to West Park. A new school would give low 
income families a state of the art modern school, in a safer area more child 
friendly, allow parents to pick up their children in one location, and cost 
the same or less to the taxpayer.

The current building is a bad design. It cannot be made to meet the needs of 
the students. It is too small. It cannot be added onto it because it already 
occupies 95% of the land the MSD owns, it even has to rent the parking lot 
from the city. It is also poor for instruction purposes. The music room is 
right in the middle of the school classrooms and is not sound proof. It is 
hard to learn fractions when you can hear someone bashing symbols in the 
room next door. Also, it is designed in a way that the administrators cannot 
see down the halls. This is dangerous because if something happens to a 
child in the hallway nobody can see them.

“Plus, look at the diverse makeup of West Park elementary.  There is more 
diversity in that school per capita compared to any other school or 
institution in town.”

If we move the children all to a new school they will still be the same 
race, culture, religion, gender, etc. We would just be putting them in a 
larger more modern school.

“Have you noticed the cost of gas these days?  $2.47 per gallon at the 
Conoco up the road.  If we close West Park, the parents may have to drive to 
pick up their children from school instead of walk from class to West Park 
and then onto home.”

Parents do not drive their children to school unless they want to. Busses 
are provided by the MSD for children not considered within walking distance. 
Parents do not like their children walking around on campus. University 
roads are full of speeders and inexperienced drivers. This would address the 
safety concerns parents have had about walking to West Park.


“I suspect that the financial impact of closing West Park would outweigh the 
monies earmarked for the renovation of West Park.  However, I could be 
wrong.”

I disagree. You could build a new elementary school for $4.6 million plus 
the money from the sale of West Park. This would also save you operational 
costs by not having to rent parking from the city and space for Kindergarten 
in the University. The new school would also have a longer life, reduced 
utility usage, and be much larger and capable of housing all the students. 
Investing $4.6 million into a school that is going to be too small anyway 
seems like a waste. We have a cheap building on expensive land. Why not an 
expensive building on cheap land?

“So tell me again why you think we should close West Park.”

Because it would save the taxpayers money and provide a safe quality new 
school for the poorest and most disadvantaged members of are community. It 
would give poorer kids a chance to get out of an impoverished inadequate 
school. I do not think that diversity should be synonymous with an 
inadequate school as it is most cases. Let us give the kids with nothing 
something.

Another point you can ponder. If you built a new elementary school, it would 
give you a place to put the Russell kids while you renovated the historical 
building. This would also save you the money of having to retrofit the 
current high school to suit the needs of the elementary students.

Take Care,

Donovan J Arnold

PS, Congratulations on joining the Ameri-Corps. If I did not have so much in 
loans, I would do that myself.


>From: Timothy Rigsby <timo5277 at uidaho.edu>
>To: vision2020 at moscow.com
>Subject: [Vision2020] Why should we close West Park?
>Date: Sat, 23 Apr 2005 23:23:12 -0700
>
>Donovan:
>
>Where do you suggest we send the children of the students of the University 
>of Idaho
>if MSD decides to close West Park?  Wouldn't closing West Park put even 
>more financial
>burden on the students at UI whose children attend West Park?  Even more 
>financial
>burden than what this levy will cost each tax payer.
>
>What about the inconvenience that closing West Park would create for these 
>students
>whose children attend West Park?  I thought you cared about people that 
>suffer from a lower income or live on a fixed income.  Some of the lowest 
>income families in
>town are the ones who live in married student housing or have children that
>attend school while they pursue either undergrad or graduate degrees at UI.
>
>Plus, look at the diverse makeup of West Park elementary.  There is more 
>diversity
>in that school per capita compared to any other school or institution in 
>town.  If we
>close West Park and shuffle some of these kids around to other schools, we 
>may lose the
>valuable diversity that has been created at West Park due to the high 
>number of
>exchange students whose children attend that school.  The type of diversity 
>at West
>Park can only promote healthy relationships and respect for others 
>differences.  Think
>of the world peace that could be created by utilizing the diverse spread of 
>people at
>a place like West Park.
>
>Have you noticed the cost of gas these days?  $2.47 per gallon at the 
>Conoco up the
>road.  If we close West Park, the parents may have to drive to pick up 
>their children
>from school instead of walk from class to West Park and then onto home.  
>Not only will
>they be spending more money on fuel, but think of the extra emissions that 
>would be
>emitted because of the extra cars on the road.
>
>I suspect that the financial impact of closing West Park would outweigh the 
>monies
>earmarked for the renovation of West Park.  However, I could be wrong.
>
>So tell me again why you think we should close West Park.
>
>Tim (A new AmeriCorps member) Rigsby
>
>
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