July 23, 2014 at 2:10 p.m.
Why did they wait so long? (04/02/07)
Editorial
One of these days, it might just happen.
A locally-elected board will struggle through months, maybe years, of debate, discussion, and planning.
And when board members are finally ready to make an informed decision, yet another uninformed citizen will show up and insist that the whole process start over again. Even though it's happened before, and even though they weren't paying attention in the first place.
One of these days, one of those locally-elected board members might simply lose it, resigning on the spot, jumping over the table, and wrestling the citizen to the ground out of pure frustration.
Something close to that might happen in the South Adams school district this spring.
For more than a year, probably closer to two years, maybe more, the South Adams School Board has been examining the needs of the middle school in Geneva and the elementary school in Berne.
Both buildings are in sorry shape, not because they haven't been maintained, but because they're simply so old that money spent on them would be money wasted.
Faced with that situation, the board did what a good board should do.
It ran a series of open houses at both buildings, inviting the public in to get a first-hand look at the problem. After months of input, the board then decided to bite the bullet and replace both schools.
But it decided to do the replacement in the most cost-effective way possible. It opted to become the first school corporation in Indiana to use the design-build method on new school construction, which is estimated to reap huge savings. And it decided to build the new kindergarten through grade 8 facility adjacent to the high school and combine its construction with solving overdue issues at the high school as well.
Years ago, such a decision would have resulted in an outcry from the Geneva community.
After all, the town will be losing its school. But to Geneva's credit, the town recognized not only that the building needed to be replaced but that it was less expensive in the long run to consolidate school buildings at the Berne site.
That's a huge leap for the Geneva community, something that would have been unheard of 25 years ago. It's also evidence that the course of action being charted by the school board makes the most sense.
One would think, then, that the project would move forward.
But such a sensible scenario forgets the late arrivals at the table.
Despite the months and years of discussion, despite the tens of thousands of words that have been published on this project, a small contingent of folks popped up as if they had just awakened from a dream.
Building project? Bond issue? Crumbling schools? What are you talking about?
Now keep in mind that the South Adams School Corporation is somewhat unique.
Its activities are covered by an extraordinary number of newspapers.
The Commercial Review covers it because we have readers in the Geneva area. The Berne Tri-Weekly News covers it for obvious reasons. The Decatur Daily Democrat covers it because of readers in the northern end of the school district. And the Fort Wayne Journal-Gazette even jumps in with a story now and then. On top of that, WZBD, the Berne radio station, also provides coverage.
Anyone willing to pay the minimal admission to citizenship should have no excuse for knowing what's going on.
Yet the late arrivals popped up just the same, and they've brought the usual don't-confuse-me-with-the-facts attitude that tends to drive such discussions.
For those of us who tend to look at this from the perspective of friends and neighbors, it's all pretty disheartening.
For the record, a few things are clear:
1. Both the Berne and Geneva buildings are overdue for replacement. Their current condition should be an embarrassment to South Adams.
2. Building a K-8 facility adjacent and connected to the high school is the most cost-effective solution.
3. It will be expensive. These things are, especially when they've been put off so long. Far too long in this case.
4. It will be worth it in the long run. Better school facilities drive economic growth.
5. The late-comers to the discussion would be more credible if they had been better citizens, rather than throwing up hurdles and taking cheap shots late in the game.
That, at least, is how it looks from a Jay County perspective. - J.R.[[In-content Ad]]
A locally-elected board will struggle through months, maybe years, of debate, discussion, and planning.
And when board members are finally ready to make an informed decision, yet another uninformed citizen will show up and insist that the whole process start over again. Even though it's happened before, and even though they weren't paying attention in the first place.
One of these days, one of those locally-elected board members might simply lose it, resigning on the spot, jumping over the table, and wrestling the citizen to the ground out of pure frustration.
Something close to that might happen in the South Adams school district this spring.
For more than a year, probably closer to two years, maybe more, the South Adams School Board has been examining the needs of the middle school in Geneva and the elementary school in Berne.
Both buildings are in sorry shape, not because they haven't been maintained, but because they're simply so old that money spent on them would be money wasted.
Faced with that situation, the board did what a good board should do.
It ran a series of open houses at both buildings, inviting the public in to get a first-hand look at the problem. After months of input, the board then decided to bite the bullet and replace both schools.
But it decided to do the replacement in the most cost-effective way possible. It opted to become the first school corporation in Indiana to use the design-build method on new school construction, which is estimated to reap huge savings. And it decided to build the new kindergarten through grade 8 facility adjacent to the high school and combine its construction with solving overdue issues at the high school as well.
Years ago, such a decision would have resulted in an outcry from the Geneva community.
After all, the town will be losing its school. But to Geneva's credit, the town recognized not only that the building needed to be replaced but that it was less expensive in the long run to consolidate school buildings at the Berne site.
That's a huge leap for the Geneva community, something that would have been unheard of 25 years ago. It's also evidence that the course of action being charted by the school board makes the most sense.
One would think, then, that the project would move forward.
But such a sensible scenario forgets the late arrivals at the table.
Despite the months and years of discussion, despite the tens of thousands of words that have been published on this project, a small contingent of folks popped up as if they had just awakened from a dream.
Building project? Bond issue? Crumbling schools? What are you talking about?
Now keep in mind that the South Adams School Corporation is somewhat unique.
Its activities are covered by an extraordinary number of newspapers.
The Commercial Review covers it because we have readers in the Geneva area. The Berne Tri-Weekly News covers it for obvious reasons. The Decatur Daily Democrat covers it because of readers in the northern end of the school district. And the Fort Wayne Journal-Gazette even jumps in with a story now and then. On top of that, WZBD, the Berne radio station, also provides coverage.
Anyone willing to pay the minimal admission to citizenship should have no excuse for knowing what's going on.
Yet the late arrivals popped up just the same, and they've brought the usual don't-confuse-me-with-the-facts attitude that tends to drive such discussions.
For those of us who tend to look at this from the perspective of friends and neighbors, it's all pretty disheartening.
For the record, a few things are clear:
1. Both the Berne and Geneva buildings are overdue for replacement. Their current condition should be an embarrassment to South Adams.
2. Building a K-8 facility adjacent and connected to the high school is the most cost-effective solution.
3. It will be expensive. These things are, especially when they've been put off so long. Far too long in this case.
4. It will be worth it in the long run. Better school facilities drive economic growth.
5. The late-comers to the discussion would be more credible if they had been better citizens, rather than throwing up hurdles and taking cheap shots late in the game.
That, at least, is how it looks from a Jay County perspective. - J.R.[[In-content Ad]]
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