Letters to the editor

Editor's Note: The deadline has passed for letters pertaining to the March 4 Primary Election.

Can't afford

to pass this up

To the editor,

I am a proud member of our community, have had children graduate from Clyde, and I am the secretary at Green Springs School.

Working at this school, I am familiar with the deterioration of the 70-year-old building. Our maintenance department works very hard to maintain our buildings.

We always try to have the building looking its best for students and events held at the school. However, just in this past year we have had pipes break, drain pipes backup, roof leaks, flooding, boiler failure, sewage problems, ceilings falling in, mold problems, electrical shorts, and water quality issues just to name a few problems.

Some students are being taught in hallways, former shower facilities, and old basement storage areas. In the winter, we have classrooms with temperatures in the 80's while down the hallway the student were cold in classrooms at only 60 degrees.

We have students trying to learn in classrooms that can reach 90 degrees in August-September and May-June. We are serving about 570 students a day in a cafeteria that was built to serve less than 300.

When this school was built, most students walked home, but now many of our students get picked up and the parking situation is extremely overcrowded and chaotic.

I have toured the new Seneca East building and was awed! They built an Ohio School Facilities Building, with a few locally funded upgrades and received similar funding from the state.

The building is clean, safe, modern and attractive. Air quality is improved through filtration systems, while heating and air conditioning are efficiently controlled.

These students have a new pride about their school. I've also seen pictures of other buildings that have been built through these state funds and can dream about what our students could have; what our community could have here in Clyde and Green Springs.

I write to ask for your support for the upcoming levy. The district is asking for a 1% earned income tax to be paid by all actively employed residents of the school district. Most of the are SBC schools are already receiving an income tax but did not get a new school with those dollars.

I don't think the only question we should be asking ourselves is "Can I afford this levy?", but rather I think what we really need to ask ourselves is "Can we afford not to pass this levy?"

The state will pay 66 percent of this project through funds from the tobacco settlement. Our share is only 34 percent of the total costs. These funds are only available to use this limited time.

If the voters turn down the levy, the money becomes available for the next school on the state's list and our opportunity will be gone.

The state has made a commitment to establish better buildings for the students and I ask that you make that same commitment to the students of the Clyde-Green Springs School District. Please vote YES March 4.

Tina Preston

Finefrock Road

Vote for

Ansted

To the editor,

As a former employee of the Sandusky County Prosecutor's Office, I had the privilege of working with Barbara Ansted from 1990 to 1997.

I have know Barbara for nearly 18 years, and I can personally say that she has the tried and true legal experience to become the next Judge of Sandusky County Common Pleas Court.

Experienced, professional, dedicated, impartial and honest are only a few words to describe an individual who has gone above and beyond in every aspect of her professional career.

As a resident of Clyde, I would like to urge Sandusky County residents to vote for Barbara Ansted, Republic for Judge of Common Pleas Court (Judge Sherck's seat) on March 4. She is the real deal.

Kimberly D. Keith

Clyde