Tim Lyke hits the nail on the head...and the letters to the editor, well, I just shake my head.
First of all, a person's personnel record, including any disciplinary action, is not going to be released to the public. I cannot do that with our city staff, nor would I wish to. If the author truly wanted to lead the superintendent out of town, she could have run for School Board and led the charge internally, altering the manners of the very board she is continuously belittling.
As for the turf issues, how many times do the facts have to be presented, or does the author honestly believe if enough manure is thrown against the wall, some will stick?
* First, and I would pray for the last time, the referendum question in 2006 was to borrow money for the installation of turf, not an up-and-down question on turf. No manner how many ways you dissect it, debate it, and, yes, even, mislead people about it, you cannot come to any other conclusion based on the language and the facts. Here is the referendum in its ORIGINAL, UNALTERED WORDING:
Question#2: Be it resolved by the School Board of the School District of Ripon, Fond du Lac, Winnebago, and Green Lake Counties, Wisconsin, that there shall be issued pursuant to Chapter 67 of the Wisconsin Statutes, general obligation bonds in an amount not to exceed $750,000 for the public purpose of paying the cost of installing artificial turf on Ingalls Field in partnership with Ripon College.
Nowhere in this question does it ask do you want turf or not. It asks do you want the district to issue bonds for the purpose of installing artificial turf. The only way the argument that the people were tricked works is if you believe the people are STUPID and do not know what they read or voted on.
* Second, to make claims about the fundraising and throw numbers out there indicating the taxpayers are on the hook for nearly $500,000 is beyond ludicrous. As I have pointed out many times, the college is contributing over $200,000. The fundraising efforts, at a minimum, sold 32 signs at the field, at $10,000 each, some in 5-year increments. There were also other donations beyond the signs, including a raffle and anonymous donations. A considerable part of the labor was also donated, reducing the costs.
* Third, to make the claim that the money spent on the turf, which has been GROSSLY overexaggerated by the author, could have been spent on the boilers and other items in the referendum is a stretch that borders on laughable, mainly because the numbers involved in the initial assumptions are so flawed as to make the rest of the argument baseless.
* Fourth, the turf is in. What does the author want...for it to be torn out? There can be no other explanation for these incendiary letters, which use fuzzy math and fuzzier adjectives to cover up the basic fact...the author dislikes turf, dislikes those who supported, dislikes those who contributed it, but simply cannot move on, as Tim Lyke so eloquently pointed out.
Now, if history repeats itself, my posting will be responded to with personal attacks about everything from the college parking situation to my wife being the First Lady. In all honesty, I would love to see no responses to this posting, because the turf issue........is over.
FUNDRAISING FOR THE TURF
* Private Donations - $360,000
-The initial money to pay for the turf will come from an 8-year loan with the FieldTurf financing company
* College Contribution - $250,000 ($31,250 per year from 2008 to 2015)
-The college payments began in March 2008
-The Ripon College payment listed is for principal only. Interest will also be paid. The college has committed to the increase from the original $25,000/year proposed budget based on a 10-year loan
Ripon Area School District - $170,692
-The school district commences payments in March 2009 after the current Ingalls Field loan ends ($15,476 annually)
2008-2009 - $7,638 from maintenance, $15,476 from loan fund - $23,114
2009-2010 - $7,867 from maintenance, $15,476 from loan fund - $23,343
2010-2011 - $11,937 from maintenance, $15,476 from loan fund - $27,413
-The estimated maintenance expenses in 2010-11 include $5,750 to replace the crown on the field.
2011-2012 - $8,346 from maintenance, $15,476 from loan fund - $23,822
2012-2013 - $8,597 from maintenance, $15,476 from loan fund - $24,073
2013-2014 - $8,855 from maintenance, $15,476 from loan fund - $24,331
2014-2015 - $9,120 from maintenance, $15,476 from loan fund - $24,596
TOTAL AMOUNT - $780,692
When the numbers are all broken down, the most the taxpayers are paying "extra" for the field is $108,332, which is amount of the original Ingalls Fund annual payment over seven years. The maintenance money would have been spent anyways on painting, mowing, fertilizing, and recrowning the field. The taxpayers received a field worth more than a HALF MILLION dollars for slighly more than $100,000. These numbers come directly from IngallsField.org, the website set up by the fundraising organizers.
Furthermore, one of the arguments for installing the Turf would be increased usage. In its first year, the field hosted a WIAA playoff game to a full house, and a semi-pro football championship game. Both brought in revenue to the city and to the school district.
