We urge you to vote "yes" on the upcoming plant facilities levy on Oct. 29.
As part of the Blaine County School District strategic plan process, community members identified a critical need for environmentally sustainable facilities. An energy audit was conducted of all schools, and recommendations were made for improvements that will reduce our carbon footprint and save the district a guaranteed minimum of $300,000 annually. The levy will allow the district to proceed with these money-saving upgrades.
Included in the retrofits are high-efficiency, sustainable, ground-source heating and cooling systems for our buildings, new doors and windows to eliminate air leaks, solar heating systems to heat paver areas, efficient lighting fixtures and sensors, PC shutdown software and a pilot solar installation at WRMS. In addition, the levy will create irrigation improvements, saving millions of gallons of water each year. These savings will be reinvested into our schools.
The new systems will enable teachers to incorporate lessons into their curriculum that focus on energy savings and alternate energy sources, giving our students a jump start on promising new job opportunities.
Perhaps the most amazing aspect of the district's proposal is that all of this can be accomplished without increasing your taxes. The levy will simply replace a tax that will expire next August. In fact, taxes will decrease from current levels.
Mary Ann Ward
Larry Barnes
Michael Breen
Kate Parnes
Hailey
