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In the recent past I have expressed reservations about the LPOSD facilities levy. My concern was the appearance that the proposal was rushed and, as my wise grandmother often told me, “haste makes waste.”

Since then, I’ve had a chance to sit down with Shawn Woodward, Matt Diel, Dave Teater and others to learn more about the process and the bona fides of the outside professionals used to do the analysis and prepare the proposal. I found them to be competent, experienced and credible.

I also discovered that discussions about upgrading facilities started before Dick Cvitanich left more than four years ago. Serious consideration was deferred during the heart of the recession, for good reason, but was reactivated in July 2015. Once it was decided to start an assessment process, the district hired a highly qualified consultant to look at the facilities and evaluate them. That evaluation included a determination of the adequacy of systems like heating, electrical, plumbing, roofs, etc, along with their adequacy to support the education programs of today and tomorrow. They also considered renovation but found it not to be cost effective. It was their recommendation that is now the facilities master plan.

There are those who say the plan is too big, that the community can’t afford it, that it should have been done another way or that we can get by without it. Those concerns will always be with us and I understand them.

But, if not now, when?

BOB WYNHAUSEN

Sandpoint