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Show Please Ensure Optimal Use The Feb. 1, 1996 Garfield County News reported the Garfield School District plans to immediately immedi-ately move forward with construction construc-tion of a new elementary school in Boulder which will cost nearly $400,000 of public money. I would hope that when such a large sum of money is to be expended careful study would be undertaken to ensure en-sure optimal use before construction construc-tion is rushed to begin. I suggest the District rethink its proposed location lo-cation so better results can be attained at-tained for the town, District, and the children. The first we knew of the intentions inten-tions to build a school here was when clearing of vegetation occurred oc-curred on the one-acre lot the District had already purchased for $15,000, which is located next to the LDS church. I immediately contacted the District to find out what was going on and then verbally ver-bally expressed my concerns to Superintendent Philip Blais nearly a year ago. Boulder is served by a private "Farmstead Water Company" and I felt the District should pursue obtaining ob-taining a water hook-up from them rather than drill another well in town. Many of the school children come from homes of shareholders in the company and as a public service ser-vice a hook-up might be provided. The District informed me this week that no written request for a water hook-up was ever made to the water wa-ter company. The District will drill an expensive well and provide their own "public drinking water system" to this small one acre property. Costs could total nearly $20,000 with no further room for expansion. Maintaining such a system into the future could be troublesome. This proposed location is on a tight corner of the back road through town which is already becoming be-coming too congested and is not even located correctly according to plat maps of the town. Increasing traffic use due to growth and lack of parking space is a problem, especially es-pecially for buses. When social activities ac-tivities occur at the new school private pri-vate cars will be forced to line the already too-narrow street. There are no sidewalks for walking traffic either. Evidently, the District plans to share parking and other facilities with the LDS Church. When the bond election failed last year county-wide and locally I believed Boulder voters rejected this pro- posed location as much as anything else. During the past few years BLM Area Director A.J. Martinez, who resides in Boulder, has made it known to the town and residents that the 7 12 acre BLM land tract located along scenic Highway 12 in central Boulder between the Bun-Trail Bun-Trail corner and the State Park is available for the town to purchase or lease to buy. Under the 1954 Recreation & Public Purposes Act the School District could obtain this land adjacent to the Town Hall and Park complex for a mere $75.00 and get at least five acres of developable devel-opable land presently used for pasture. pas-ture. That is a savings of some $14,000. over the acre lot. If we did need to drill a well and have an expensive drinking water system then at least we would be able to have land for expansion and to be able to use the system for all future school additions and even a local high school some day. Sadly, I was informed this week that even after making this suggestion last year the District did not even write one letter to the BLM to pursue this option. In December 1992 the Town of Boulder placed on the town a moratorium in order to create a Planning Commission chaired by A.J. Martinez and an ill-fated, problem-plagued building inspection inspec-tion program. The town desired to gain some control over the increased in-creased growth , in the area. Government officials expect private citizens to comply with regulations but the Anasazi State Park put in a million-dollar addition this year and they neglected to even get a building build-ing permit. So far the School District has not brought their proposal pro-posal to the planning commission nor asked for a building permit. The School District has spent close to $10,000. during the past several years to improve the Town Hall which presently serves as the school. The town of Boulder has spent about $15,000 on this same building to provide handicap re-strooms re-strooms and additional dining space. These facilities are adequate for another year if necessary although al-though I think the building schedule sched-ule can still be met if all the various governmental entities will only work together in the interest of the children. J. D. Hatch Boulder |