Letters to the editor

The Center for Groveport Madison Human Needs (CGMHN) is holding its Phase 4, Communicate the Plan, that was promised at the community summit.  

This information gathering is scheduled for Tuesday, Sept. 2, 7 p.m. at the Madison Township Community Center, 4575 Madison Lane. At this gathering we will introduce the board of directors, give updates to what has transpired since we first met in February, including the overview of the plan going forward. This should help fill in any of the gaps for folks who attended in February plus provide more information to those who didn’t but want to know more about CGMHN.

We have a "tool kit" of sorts available for anyone interested in finding out more about CGMHN and how they or their organizations can help support this community effort.

The public is invited to this meeting to learn more about CGMHN and what it does in the Groveport Madison area.

Christine Boucher
Groveport

GM school board in disarray

Objectively speaking, the Groveport Madison school board is in disarray.  The tag lines associated with the levy –  "do it for the children" and "we owe it to the children" are abused much in the sense the current president has abused "Support our Troops" to justify the money pit that is Iraq. I support our troops and support our children, but I do not believe in reckless spending as the means to the end.

To encourage reckless spending, the Groveport Madison school district is being told there is a need for an "emergency" levy in November. I thought "emergencies" were sudden. It seems like for months, maybe for over a year, I have read that the district is running out of money; but oddly the need for a levy is announced only three months before the election.

Equally perplexing is the busing issue.  Obtaining buses when an "emergency levy" is being proposed does not seem "frugal."  While outsourcing may not be the long-term answer, buying buses in the short term during a financial crisis is strange at best. Moreover, at a recent meeting the superintendent remarked that it costs $44,000 to do mailings that give updates on the district. Is this necessary? What else could be cut in a time of "emergency" that does not impact the children?

I applaud the call by board member John Kershner to be frugal in a time of financial crisis, but I do not applaud misusing this term, or worse using it as a war cry.  Accusing other board members of being something perceived as negative is counter productive at a time when this board needs to be united in crisis. Opposing views are healthy, but how they are resolved is what takes skill. Ultimately this will fall on Board President Dr. Sealey’s shoulders in the coming months.  As the president of the board it will be Dr. Sealey’s responsibility to guide this board and bring unity.   

Readers should take note that there is another party contributing to the school board’s troubled situation – the Madison Township trustees.  

Why did the Madison Township trustees allow more apartment buildings in an overburdened district (behind Giant Eagle to name one)?  Moreover, why is the township encouraging transient housing with the building of a hotel that specializes in weekly rates (new "hotel" on Hamilton Road next to Holiday Inn Express called "199 a Week")? The 33/Hamilton Road exit is looking more like a 24-hour exit for transient drifters: (24 hour White Castle + 24 hour Giant Eagle + empty strip mall + hotel specializing in weekly rates = increased strain on Madison Township Police). Would the Madison Township trustees and the Groveport Madison School District please find some sort of direction? You owe it to the taxpayers and the children.