"I would like to give kudos to the four school board members, namely Randell Kruger, Mark Critelli, Marlene Stueland and Mark Konrardy for voting in favor to keep and maintain the Marshfield Middle School where it presently is located.
I recently attended one of the listening sessions at the middle school, and it was almost unanimous from those who attended and spoke that the middle school should remain where it is and necessary repairs be made as time and money permits.
People who hold office are put there by a vote of the people and taxpayers, and it is their duty to uphold the wishes of the majority of the voters. Apparently Tim Deets, Frances Bohon and Graham Olson don't feel that way.
How anyone could support building additions on the high school or Grant Elementary School and move the eighth-graders up there, either have a private agenda or are ill-informed.
There is almost as much traffic in those two areas as downtown Milwaukee. A recent survey showed 11,000 cars a day on North Peach Avenue, and that funnels onto Becker Road toward the high school and toward the Marshfield Clinic area. Now, mix that with students and children. What are we thinking?
When schools were built in the past hundred years or so, they were built in different locations so student populations could be divided for good reasons -- safety being the main one -- and children could walk to school and not be dependent on public transportation.
I believe the cost figures to repair the middle school have been exaggerated, and these estimates should be made by people who don't have a vested interest in making the repairs.
I feel the administrator should conduct a walk through and be shown all their so-called terrible conditions. I know for a fact that school staff members have been told not to make certain repairs so conditions look worse to the public.
A good example of that is the track as no major repairs have been made to that for about 10 years. This and the solid stadium are a couple of things that can be given back to the taxpayers. The stadium has been criticized for poor construction, but it does not have board bleachers, but cement, brick and planks -- one of the best in the valley.
Another concern I have is that the Roddis family has given years of use of its property to the school area, and I understand have now donated it to the Marshfield School System. What are we to do, just walk away and say "no, thank you" to their generous contribution?
As far as the age of the school, there are schools in almost every city in the Wisconsin Valley that are older than this one and still very much in use, which I could name, if necessary.
If the middle school is too old for use as a school, we really have to be careful. I believe the senior high is about 40 years old. Do we have to start planning to replace it also?
I am not one of those uninformed and over emotional people as one of the letter writers recently stated, nor do I have a private agenda.
Keep this valuable asset in the community and keep maintaining it and the grounds around it."
Written by Lavern Reigel (former member of the Marshfield School Board and Wood County Board of Supervisors) and appeared in the Marshfield New-Herald.
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