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<p class=MsoNormal><font size=3 face=Arial><span style='font-size:12.0pt;
font-family:Arial'>I read with interest the MSD Facilities Planning Committee
Interim Report in the latest district newsletter. Under the heading of “The
problem”, the first sentence caught my eye. It read, “For a
variety of reasons, the district has been able to maintain but not substantively
update or add to its school facilities for several decades.”</span></font></p>
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<p class=MsoNormal><font size=3 face=Arial><span style='font-size:12.0pt;
font-family:Arial'>I recall a levy election in the late 1980’s, (1989??)
that paid for substantial updates and expansions of school facilities, a bond
levy that I believe we are still paying for. While fifteen years may be a long
time to some, it hardly can be described as “several decades”. Another
tax increase of $400,000 in the mid 90’s paid for adding and updating
technology. Since this report was written for the purpose of exaggeration, any
and all claims must be viewed as such.</span></font></p>
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font-family:Arial'> </span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=3 face=Arial><span style='font-size:12.0pt;
font-family:Arial'>The report suggests that the committee has been active since
April, 2003. While the current reincarnation may have started in 2003, such
facility planning committees have been in place since the early 1990’s.
The claimed facility needs are not new or recent, just repeated over again by
new members. It is time for the FPC to get past the idea that there is no
consensus and deal with the fact that there is no support for a bond levy. The
FPC would do the community and the district a great service by establishing
ways for the district to use the 8 million dollars in local property taxes we
already pay for the district facility needs.</span></font></p>
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<p class=MsoNormal><font size=3 face=Arial><span style='font-size:12.0pt;
font-family:Arial'>John Danahy</span></font></p>
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font-family:Arial'> </span></font></p>
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