I Gotta Tell You This

I don't intend to bog myself down  in the  unwanted school site issue on Mavrinac.

But  there is an issue and  a decision to  be made.  A long as something relevant I will tellit as it occurs.

Lincoln and The Team of Rivals by Doris Kearns Goodwin  lies at my hand.  I have not seen the film. If I see it before I read the book, enjoyment of the book is spoiled If I read it before  seeing the film , the  latter is seldom  worth  viewing.

I know within a page when I start a book if  a book is worth reading.

It used  I would keep reading waiting for the story to begin. Not any more.

If it's a good book,I have no discipline. I will read throughout the night .  With Michener,I discovered he filled pages with  endless details. I  would flip pages to get  back to the story line. 


Then , when it wasover, I 'd be sorry.

I never read  a book twice.

Doris Kearns Goodwin 's book is waiting .  I have been introduced to  the people who occupy the pages  and something of the society they occupied.

If I tell now  what I learned about the Mavrinac situation, I can go back to the book.

I have told this before but bear with me .It needs to be told again  to its logical conclusion.

Neighborhood  parks were planned. A huge ravine, now public land, traverses the property from north to south . There are gaps in srvice but not in Block B where this school site is now surplus.

Four school sites were chosen .Three Separate  elementary and one public  high school  site which is considerable larger.

Parks and school are usually built in tandem to maximize  function.

The Public school board bought their site. They had approval from the Province to build a new high school.  Williams was old and outdated. Modernity has transformed schools.

The Board's  intended to sell the Dunning Avenue site and transfer  the high school to  the North east.

Susan Walmer and The Presence saw a political opportunity and brought  board  trustees to their knees.

Plans were changed. Millions have  now been spent renovating  the old school  and the board owns a site they can sell to the highest bidder .

It  was purchased with tax dollars.

Our real and pressing need , identified in the Master Recreation Plan is for a "community" park designed to accommodate sports fields needed  yesterday and in the future.

Council were informed in the last term,  of  a last  opportunity available at raw land price.

The advice was dismissed.

The public school- board - owned site would be perfect for us. The last  opportunity
within the town's boundary.

They don't need it. We do.

We could pay the board what they paid and carrying costs with the Cash in Lieu Reserve fund.

It's a larger site thn the one  on Mavrinac. It would accommodate more  houses Add more cars.

It need not be sold to the highest bidder. Need not be developed  as a town house project . That purpose would be its highest return.

The school board would be speculating with tax dollars.

It could be a community park. At an appropriate price.

It's an aspect of the issue that needs to be considered.