On March 22, the voters in the Sullivan West School District have an extraordinary opportunity to finally give the students in our district what they so patiently have been waiting for: athletic fields at our high school. Without these, our school is second rate and we will have to continue to bus our kids daily to other locations for after-school sports practice.

The beauty is, it won’t cost taxpayers one cent. In reality, taxpayers have been paying for the sports fields ever since the school was built. After winning lawsuits against the builders, the district now has the capital improvement funds to complete the fields.

The plan includes baseball, softball and soccer fields, tennis courts, outdoor basketball courts and a multi-use football field with synthetic turf. Since the project is a three-year plan, numerous contracts will be sent out for bid, creating local jobs.

While I am a member of the board of education, the sentiments expressed here are solely my own as a taxpayer and Sullivan West parent. We owe it to our kids, and to the taxpayers, to do the right thing. Vote on March 22 to give our kids the opportunities that they deserve.

Joan Glase

Cochecton, NY