All choked up

Our community is all abuzz with the news that a new school is funded. People from all walks — young parents, elderly without kids, business people, kids in schools, teachers, laborers of all sorts — get an excited gleam in the eye, and even a few tears welling in the eyes sometimes when they bring up the news.

And we should be excited. The state’s decision, spearheaded by your 12th Legislative District Senator Linda Evans Parlette, may even be unprece-dented. The state normally offers a match to communities that can raise enough through property taxes to pay for much of their own new buildings. We can’t do that because of the overwhelming untaxable federal presence here. So the Legislature’s vote last week included funds that essentially match the state’s own match.

Even with that generosity, however, the fund raising is not done. With the state’s $31 million in hand to build the academic core of the new school complex, the complete vision — including athletic fields, event parking, a gym and more — remains unfunded.

A way will be found to fund it. We hope the federal government recognizes its unmet obligation to the community — the existence of which is the foundation of so much wealth elsewhere through hydroelectricity, irrigation and flood control — if for no other reason than its own workers need new facilities for their kids.

But that hope should not keep the community from continuing to rally support. Showing it is more important now than ever. It’s entirely possible that federal legislators and officials who have never set foot in the state could be crucial in any federal decision to help. They’ll need to see clear evidence of community backing.

One quick way is to make sure you are registered as a supporter at the “Our Schools, Their Future” web site at http://ow.ly/alSdJ.

We may get all choked up about our new future school, but we shouldn’t choke in the final stretch of the game to complete it.

Scott Hunter

editor and publisher