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Wednesday, March 5, 2008 Once in a Blue Moon by Ray Benning Congratulations all area wrestlers on your achievements at the state tournament. What an honor for the Broncos and the Raiders to both come home with a state champion. In the last few weeks I have written about possible changes that may take place with the Eagle Valley school district in the future. I have asked for any comments from the public on the matter. Do you have one? Let's hear it. Go to www.inhnews.com to comment. To date we have only received one comment and one letter to the editor (Click here to refer to the letter). In the letter to the editor I find it surprising that Board Member Sharon Notch took offense to discussing this issue publicly and would like to deter you, the taxpayers, from writing a letter to share your opinions. Yes, the board will make the recommendation, but we all will vote on it and if passed, must pay for it. I still encourage everyone to write in and be heard. We are a democracy and your voice counts. There is a lot that goes into this decision and I am sure the board will choose what they think is best for our district to retain/gain students. I in no way intended to belittle the work they have put into this issue, but to not want this discussed publicly puts a shadow of doubt over the process. I give Mrs. Notch credit because she was willing to stick her neck out and let the public know where she stands. Last week I mentioned the three possibilities of getting into one building with pros and cons I have heard on each of these options. There is also the option to stay with two buildings. This has not been ruled out. It would keep the harmony between the communities, yet this needs to be a fiscally responsible decision and not all the numbers are in on the extra cost of keeping two buildings operating with declining enrollment. Below are a few pros and cons I've heard on this option. I understand that the cons are basically the same as last week, but they came up with this option as well. Keep buildings operating in both communities  Pros It would keep harmony in both communities by keeping a school in each one. This appears to be the least expensive option, before looking at extra costs annually of keeping two buildings up and running. Cons Expensive to remodel an old building and the estimate does not include any new windows or anything done with the exterior of the building other than the roof in Eagle Bend. There would be extra money spent on upkeep for the elevator in Eagle Bend that would need to be installed. Classes would either have to be taught offsite or crammed into half the building and work through the noise of the construction for at least a year in Eagle Bend. Again these are the pros and cons I have heard or see from my perspective. If you have more to add please click below and add a comment for us to include on the list.

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Where would there be enough room in Eagle Bend for a playground? Plus there is a playground update project in the works for this summer at the elementary site. This money has already been saved and put aside for this much needed project. Jac