Dear Editor:
I offer a response to two Letters to the Editor last week, opposing Ballot 5A.
We absolutely need a school as an “integrated part of our community” and want our students (and others) to have “pride in their schools and in the community they call home.” The Pagosa Springs community is the entire community, not just the Town limits, but all of Archuleta County. Educational, outdoor, and civic resources and kid-friendly businesses exist uptown and downtown alike, and more students will be able to walk and bike to school at the uptown location, since 67% of the current student population lives west of Piedra Road.
Kudos to Mrs. Vilhauer and her career as a passionate and dedicated teacher in challenging school settings. Parents desire teachers with this level of commitment and ability. Imperfect buildings can hinder learning, like some of the features in our elementary and middle schools: windowless classrooms, improper ventilation and temperatures, the smell of sewage, spaces that disabled students cannot access, and roof leaks. Modern buildings invite kids to want to be at school and inspire the love of learning as spaces are multi-functional and adaptive for a variety of uses like allowing student gatherings, collaborative learning, creative exploration, enhanced physical activities, and provide green play areas and outdoor fields.
Additionally, the two schools are situated on Highway 160 which poses an extreme safety concern, and while front door access has been improved in recent years, it does not meet modern standards.
Bill Hudson calls the $88 million figure “disinformation.” The professional assessment of ASD facilitates from RTA Architects has every deficiency documented, prioritized, and priced. This information can be found on the ASD and RTA websites. What Hudson disputes is a different RTA figure, the $29 million Urgent Tier, which is a separate argument he’s entitled to make. Calling a correctly cited, fully sourced total dollar amount “disinformation”, because it isn’t the number he prefers, is the kind of claim that doesn’t survive five minutes with the source document. I’d encourage every voter to spend those five minutes.
Voters, please be informed. Visit www.CitizensForASD.org and support our community that values education for this and future generations.
Lisa Scott
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