Editor:

I toured Preble Shawnee’s schools slated for demolition and or abandonment. No way!

1. West Elkton could use an upgrade on their boilers; if the levy passes, new boilers will be installed for the buildings’ four remaining years, while construction of two new schools are completed. The building then will become vacant and send property values crashing as the area is served by a county run sewage plant. The school now pays half of the sewage bills and the other 75 users already paying high costs will see their rates double. The village itself will lose its anchor, the school.

2. Tearing down the new high school (33 years old) is a terrible idea, a blatant abuse of taxpayer dollars. It is in a bad location, so if it is scheduled for demolition, why not move it to Gratis close to the water tower or back to Camden? If you like a country school, well look what National Trail has done for New Paris. Villages depend on schools as their “anchor” for business.

3. Camden Elementary is not bad at all; in the old wing, a beautiful epoxy coating on the floors will cover the old, not actually dangerous tile, safely entombing the asbestos in the floor tiles. The new addition is only about 20 years old.

4. Air conditioning, with new, more efficient air conditioners, add very little to the electric grid, there are 3-foot attics allowing upgrades to be easily made.

5. In closing, look at the demographics, steadily declining enrollment. Baby boomers retired on fixed incomes, taxed, most are not fixed very well.

I urge you to vote no.

Eric White

Camden