Putz ponders if county will help restore his barn

Editor:

I have to use letters to the editor to vent my concerns and frustrations because of my past experience with public hearings conducted by the Madison County Board of Supervisors. I join many others who feel intimidated by the five persons sitting up on the dais looking down at us.

I and my fellow citizens should not be looked down upon just because the supervisors were elected. They wanted the job of running the county and were elected to represent the citizens. The election does not make them better or smarter people or upper class.

The Madison County School Board closed most of the summer school program, adversely affecting about 300 students. I cannot believe that Madison County curtailed the summer school program so that the “dedicated teachers” could get their compensation increases. This action refutes teachers’ continuous statements of their dedication to educate the children.

Why are 300 students deprived of the opportunity to improve their skills to pay for the teachers’ undocumented and unreasonable pay demands? Why have their hard working parents now to worry what their children will do during the school recess? Did the leopard finally show its spots?

After multiple requests to Madison County I was finally provided a disbursements statement to William A. Hazel Inc. for the Hoover Ridge ball park. While the county is unable to provide the real cost of the construction of the ballfields, I was given a sum of $849,463.46 with more bills to come and which does not include the rehabilitation of the “old barn.”

The county could not tell me how much was spent for this barn restoration, which the county miraculously declared a historic site without any proper documentation. I wonder if the supervisors would be willing to restore anyone else’s historic barn. I am certain there are several — like mine — dating back to prior to 1850 and in which other dignitaries gave a barn speech. My raccoons s sure would like to have a nice home.

Neither could the county provide any information of the monthly or annual maintenance cost of these ballfields.

While I believe that we need to provide sports facilities to follow the Roman rule of “a healthy mind comes from a healthy body,” I fail to understand to spend close to $1 million for a sports facility, plus its substantial annual maintenance fees. The facility will be used less than four months out of the year and by less than 5 percent of the student body.

While Supervisors Chairman Eddie Dean may have — due to his coaching background — a soft heart for sports facilities, it is irresponsible in light of the future projected capital expenditures of $ 15 million-plus for improving county buildings in 2009 anand 2010.

Dr. Herbert Putz
Madison County