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THE COMMERCE (GA) NEWS, WEDNESDAY. MARCH 26, 2008 - PAGE 5A LETTERS TO THE EDITOR BOE Sacrifices Support of The Community Editor: Monday night we attended the unveiling of the plans for the new high school in Commerce. The Board of Education present ed the plans with no options for discussion or change. They told the audience that the architects have designed the "best school for the amount of money and land" that we possess. The board also told us that to make the plan work they have to demolish the current gym. That means our school system will not have a gym for at least two years. Dr. McCoy and the board admit ted that they do not know what we will do without a gym. They had no answers for questions about where our students will have physical education, basket ball practice, basketball games, wrestling matches, school assem blies, pep rallies or homecom ing dances. The board does not know what we will do in case it rains on graduation. They do not have a plan and they refuse to consider any alternatives. They made the decision to demolish the gym on a Wednesday night at a called meeting. Our school board is respon sible for our children. We trust them to make plans and consider all the options before they make a decision. It is hard to believe that they refuse to consider mov ing the proposed building on the property so that we can keep the gym for the next two years for our current students. Our students should not have to sac rifice this many activities for the next two years. A group of CHS students asked questions and voiced their concerns, but the board had no answers for them and no plans for making this decision work. The board and the administra tion have not included the com munity in the decision-making process concerning the new school. In January of 2007, they invited several members of the community to one meeting and asked us to create a list of all the things our "dream" high school would include. They encouraged us to "dream big" and share our ideas. Most of the commu nity people who attended that meeting were never contacted again. As far as I am concerned, our community is paying for a school that was planned by architects who do not live here and by a school board not open to discussion or suggestions from the very people who will pay the taxes to support our schools. My family and I have support ed the Commerce City School System for many years and I have never been so disappointed in a group of board members. This board is sacrificing the support of the community and the inter ests of the students in order to build a school within its budget. The parents, students and com munity leaders in attendance Monday night hoped to meet with a board that was willing to discuss options, but that was not the case. We all agree that we want to save money and we want what is best for the students, but I am not sure that will be the case if we allow the school board to build this proposed school. Jennifer Sanders Commerce Thanks For The Help With EV Rally Editor: The Electric Vehicle Education Program (EVEP) board of directors wishes to express its sincere gratitude and apprecia tion to everyone who helped make the recent 11th annu al EV rally a success. Despite rain, hail and tornado warn ings, high school electric vehi cle clubs demonstrated their team spirit and enthusiasm by completing all six phases of the rally under much less than favorable weather conditions. The EV Education Program encourages teenagers to become actively involved in the important, ongoing quest for clean, sustainable and affordable sources of energy for automotive transport. At the end of a year's study and hands-on learning, their efforts culminate in their very own student-built electric powered vehicle they can drive, and with which they can com pete against teams from other schools. Without support and dona tions from businesses and individuals, and the invalu able assistance of volunteers (many veterans of past ral lies) these annual competitive events would not be feasible. Particularly commendable at this year's rally were the efforts of volunteers Ross Seden of Staghorn Plantation, Jackson County science teacher Rachel Parr, and the Dean and Linda Mullins family. The board especially wants to thank Jackson Electric Membership Corporation, and to call attention to its under standing, cooperation, and generous support throughout the many years since 1997 when the program first was conceived. Providing material and academic support for near ly as long has been EV Master which created and supplies the Electric Master Teaching Vehicle (EMTV). Another over time staunch supporter has been The Electric Vehicle Club of the South. Finally, a huge vote of appreciation to East Jackson Comprehensive High School for use of its spacious new facilities, and the highly pro fessional and enthusiastic support of its staff. For exam ple, under the watchful eyes of Army Junior ROTC senior military science Instructor Lt. Col. Tom Taylor and assistant instructor Master Sgt. Rudy Mejias, the cadets of that pro gram provided food for rally participants and guests, and in a most impressive display of unit discipline, leader ship and cooperation, served competently as guides and assisted with crowd manage ment during the afternoon storm and numerous tornado warnings. Thank you, one and all. Not only for support and assis tance that was clearly inte gral to successful conduct of the rally, but also equally, if not more, important, through your example and encourage ment you provided additional incentive and motivation to the contestants as they threw their energies and skills into the multifaceted challenge presented by the three driving and three academic events that make up the EV rallies Sincerely, Dr. Teddie Lohmeier, EVEP board chair Dr. Don Lohmeier, EVEP technical consultant — Touring The Cellars Of An Insomniac Cont. from Page 4A I recall, had a dirt floor and walls which seeped green stuff and moisture. The house had served as an inn on a famous coach road in the 1700s. The mind can only imagine the variety of goods, activities and people which had been down there before us. I wish I had been older and been allowed to really explore the cellar. By flashlight necessary even at noon, we could see the huge hand-hewn supporting beams of the house. The trees from which those beams were cut must have been incredibly large. As the beam of our light moved across the darkness, mysterious little creatures scurried just ahead of the light, not to be seen, only heard. I was not allowed to go alone to that dark hole, but Dad went often to check the crock of wine he was making. That cellar could have been the set for any horror movie. My sleepless night wore on, but I have not begun to tell of the many other cellars or base ments I have visited. Those musings are fodder for another session of my insomnia. Claire Gaus is a retired educator and volunteers in the community in a number of capacities. She lives in Commerce. — Plans For New High School Unveiled Cont. from Page 1A Architect Jeff Couch said the school will be positioned on the crest of the land, on an axis facing the corner of Lakewood Drive. There will be a bus entry point separate from the student drop off entry. There will also be a large student parking area, which will also serve as event parking for the theater or for functions in the gym. The practice field will be pre served, with a second practice field going in behind the facility. Three existing buildings, the east wing, south wing and the cur rent technology room, will be kept. McCoy said those buildings would be renovated for growth and potential classrooms. A track will be located at the middle school, due to a lack of room at the high school campus, McCoy said. “We’ve tried to maximize what we can get out of the building,” Couch said. “At this point, I think we’re bumping on the ceiling of what we can build with our budget.” McCoy said classes will con tinue at the current site during construction. “We’ll be having class in our school as we’re building,” he said. “There may be one or two that’s displaced, but for the most part, academic focus will not change.” Once ground is broken over the summer, construction time is estimated at 24 months. “With good weather, we could be quicker,” McCoy said. “I’ve been told I’ll end the drought; as soon as we break ground, it’ll start raining.” One parent in the audience asked why there couldn’t have been a way to leave the current gym in place during construc tion. “Unfortunately, the existing gym is right in the middle of where everything needs to be,” said Duane Roof, vice president of Robertson Loia Roof. “The board has looked at solutions. The only way we can get this thing in the budget now is a layout similar to what we have now.” Roof also said that if the project appears to be heading over bud get, the plans will be reworked to bring it back within the $20 million budget. “It has to fit the budget,” he said. McCoy said physical educa tion classes depend upon good weather, and in the case of bad weather, portable classrooms will be available. McCoy said he felt like the plan that was in place was the best design that they have. “This is something we’re going to be proud of for years to come,” McCoy said. Board of Education chairman Dr. Paul Sergent echoed Savage’s sentiments to close the meeting. “We’re going to do this together, and we’re going to get though it,” he said. “We’ll all be fine.” — Single Phase To Save $1.5-52 Million Cont. from Page 1A Under the one-phase plan, the cost is estimated be $17.9 mil lion. Actual costs won’t be known until bids are opened sometime later this spring. McCoy said the savings would be put towards a bigger gym, as well as a nicer front face to the school building, among other items. ‘The only way that we’re going to be able to give the people of Commerce what we want them to have ... is doing it all at one time, and saving that money,” said board member Bill Davis. ‘That’s the only way we’ll be able to enlarge that,” Arthur Pattman agreed. “We’ve got to do something,” Pattman said. “It’s going to be June pretty soon. School will be out, and we don’t want to be sitting here in August with no construction taking place. And the mere fact that we can save this money ... which could go to increase the size of the gymna sium, I’m all for it.” One issue with going to a one- phase schedule as opposed to the original two-phase plan is the loss of the gym. Estimates say the high school may be without a gymnasium for one and a half to two basketball seasons, pre senting the school system with a challenge. “We have access to two gyms that we can practice in and we can play some of our games at the middle school,” McCoy said. He also said it was too early in the process to discuss the pos sibility of using gyms of nearby high schools. In other business, following a 36-minute closed meeting, the board voted to approve several personnel recommendations. Among those was the retirement of Wanda Bagwell, a language arts teacher at CHS; the resignations of Jennifer Reese and Jeanette Smith; the hiring of Wanda Bagwell as 49 percent English teacher for CHS; the hiring of Chessa Knight; and the transfer of special edu cation teacher David Flint from Commerce Elementary School to Commerce Middle School. Lousy Economy: Sales Tax Revenues Dip As a further sign of just how deep the economic slowdown and housing bust has hit the area, Jackson County reported a nine percent drop in its Local Option Sales Tax income for January. The county received $428,100 in LOST taxes in March for January sales. That compares to $471,400 the county received in January 2007. Also down were county SPLOST taxes with a drop of 9.7 percent in January. For the month, Jackson County collect ed $680,800 in SPLOST taxes compared to $754,500 in January 2007. The only local GM dealer offering Saturday Service Hot Weather Is Coming! Don't get caught sweating in traffic: A/C Service Check belt, Hoses and up to 11b. 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