I didn’t see this coming
Posted by BrianA few weeks ago my parents were visiting and my mom brought an article from the local paper, the Enterprise Ledger. The article described the plans for the new Enterprise High School campus and included an artists rendering. I was floored. It looked like a mini college campus, not a high school. I thought it was obscenely opulent. I tried to find the picture online, but haven’t had any success.
Well, the city has put a price tag on the fancy high school and new elementary school meant to replace the two schools destroyed in the March tornado: $102 million. They have about $63 million on hand. The city’s superintendent, Jim Reese, is asking for a one cent sales tax increase. Control your surprise.
Two things bear mentioning:
- Enterprise got a $32 million gift from the state to rebuild the schools
- The state estimated that the city could build two new schools for $77 million - and that included space for 400 additional students AND athletic facilities. Bare minimum replacement schools equivalent to what was lost would cost up to $51 million.
Draw your own conclusion.
In my opinion the city is trying to build schools that are far in excess of what is necessary. The price being sold to the public is 32% higher than what the state estimated for a much larger school. Let’s say I’m wrong and the city isn’t trying to build a couple of Taj Mahals. That would mean that that they grossly under insured the previous structures. In that case someone’s head would have to roll before I even entertained the notion of such a drastic tax increase.
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November 15th, 2007 at 8:36 am
Reminds me of back in August, when we discussed Bob Harrison or of the councilmen in HSV or Ann Roy Moore, the school superintendent wanting to build a “Taj Mahal” school to replace old ones.
November 15th, 2007 at 11:48 am
It’s for the children…
[use Simpson's voice]
I think that the cost probably includes some desirements, but planning for likely growth (Dothan’s growing, right?) isn’t bad, as illustrated by the new overcrowded-from-day-one Huntsville High School.
“Now it’s up to Reese and the Enterprise City Council to find what they can raise — or what they can cut — to make up the $38 million difference.”
Nothing unreasonable about that approach (re: school superintendent wants more taxes - it would be news if he said he didn’t). Maybe they can get Con-Agra to sponsor their Taj Mahal.
November 16th, 2007 at 11:51 am
Believe Djoser had a similar discussion with Imhotep over his modest tomb.
But if the citizens of Enterprise want to tax themselves to build it, let them. I don’t have to pay Enterprise’s local taxes and next time I drive through, I can eat and gas up elsewhere.
November 17th, 2007 at 10:14 pm
Wayne, Bob Harrison’s Taj Mahal quote is the very reason I chose to use those words.
Reactionary, I’m glad you bring up overcrowding in certain Huntsville schools. Overall the schools are somewhere around 60-65% capacity. Overcrowding here isn’t a function of shortsighted construction of infrastructure, but rather a reticence to draw district lines in a wise manner. Dr. Moore and co. will use the federal court order as their excuse till the cows come home. I think it is just a convenient smokescreen to mask their incompetence.