The bus garage
proposition in Eldred

To the editor:

The proposed referendum for a bus garage has us very concerned about the priorities at the Eldred Central School District. High quality education is a result of good teachers working with good materials. Our daughter is in a class without textbooks because of a lack of funds. Yet we are being asked to support a $1.25 million dollar garage for our buses.

It’s not easy to make a living and support a family in this community. We need to choose very carefully how our money is spent. Textbooks, programs and teacher salaries should certainly come much higher on the list than a bus garage. In these very uncertain economic times, shouldn’t we be prudent in our spending? We would gladly support spending more on textbooks, teacher salaries or programs that provide a high quality education. A $1.25 million dollar expense, which actually amounts to $2,440,000 with interest for our buses? No way.

Glenn and Linda Borstelmann
Yulan, NY

To the editor:

This is in response to a letter that opposed the building of the new bus garage facilities. The condition of this area is not suitable for the needs. As a taxpayer, the building that is now being used is of metal with very little insulation and poor ventilation. So our heating dollars are going out. The condition of the lift is not satisfactory, the lift fills up with water and this rusts the lift so that it frequently malfunctions. There is only one bathroom for both male and female employees to share and pipes freeze in the winter.

The mud that the buses sit on is red shale and it is deteriorating the bottom of the buses and the employees’ car and clothing. Working conditions are unacceptable. Buses have sunk in the mud. There is not enough parking for all the buses and employees.

Children are brought back to the garage when parents are not home. It is not a safe place for them to wait. They are exposed to chemicals and dust due to improper ventilation. As a parent I would not want my child exposed to this. It would be to the community’s advantage to own their own building instead of paying $36,000 for a building that is not cost effective and is too small. We need a place that will handle the growing needs of the community. I would ask anyone to go to Proctor Road and see for themselves the condition of the bus garage and what our taxpayer dollars are paying for.

Fran Flotard
Eldred, NY