LETTERS TO THE EDITOR
Family is grateful
Our family is extremely grateful for the love and concern shown to us by the community, friends and family during the illness and death of my wife, our mother. We are especially grateful to the ladies at the church for the wonderful dinner. We received so many lovely flowers and cards. We are very grateful to members of the Ambulance service, the Police Department, the EMTs, especially John Bobholz, and for all the wonderful people who attended the funeral.
THE DUB SNOW FAMILY
Pea Ridge, Ark.
Granny’s says thanks
All the ladies from “Granny’s Quilts of Love” would like to give a BIG THANK YOU to the wonderful community of Pea Ridge for making our 10th annual dinner and auction a big success! Without the help of your attendance this would not have been possible. We really appreciate your continued support. God bless all of you. We would like to thank Rick Neal, the school superintendent, for allowing us to use the high school cafeteria.
We are also grateful to all the local businesses for their help and donations. We are so fortunate to have the support of the Walmart vendors who are so gracious to help us. Thank you to the youth group from Pea Ridge Free Will Baptist Church for their help. Last but definitely not least, the wonderful ladies who put in many, many hours to sew the beautiful quilts, all 16,040 to give to the Arkansas Children’s Hospital. Thanks to this community we will be able to continue to purchase the materials to make more quilts. ALICE CRABTREE FOR ALL THE
MEMBERS OF GRANNY’S QUILTS OF
LOVE
Give, give and give me more
Our Pea Ridge School District has decided to ask the tax payers for a new tax extension. They say that they are not asking for any additional money but that they only want to refinance the money that they have and extend the new note out for 30 years.
Here’s the problem. If you owe me a dollar a day for 24 days you will pay me and have your loan paid in 24 days. But, what would you say if I told you that you need to continue paying me a dollar a day for an additional six days. This is essentially what they are asking the tax payers to do.
They want to refinance 12 million dollars and extend the note out for 30 years. This will save them 3 million dollars.
Bonnie, the school finance manager, told me that the school district will receive $6,393 per student from the state of Arkansas. The newspaper reported that there was an additional 59 students that have enrolled in the district so far this year. That means, that this year the school will get an additional $377,186. Then, what happens if they were to get this many additional students each year for the next 30 years. If the dollar amount was to stay at $6,393 per student, for the next 30 year, that will add up to a whopping $11.3 million.
Another issue is that this current school administration will be long gone when this bill is paid. When the School Board members ask us for this additional money they know that they will not be around in three or four years to worry about it. It is not like we home owners who finance our homes for 30 years and are happy as the dickens when we pay the note off. The school administrations do not even try to pay off their notes.
The school just paid $2.9 million for a football stadium and track. But now they are asking for more money. Do you know who actually is paying for this new sports complex? The tax payers. Question? Do any of us tax payers get to go in for free to watch games or the track meets?
The schools student body is over 1,700 students. When you go watch the games, count how many of the students actually get to use these facilities. My guess is that less than 20 percent of the entire student body get to play on the new track and field.
I realize that this is an emotional issue and that the Pea Ridge School has the largest voting block but now you know why I will not be voting to approve any extra additional taxes. I ask that at least 51 percent of the tax payers join with me to defeat this additional tax that will be imposed on the future tax payers, the current student body, as well as the current taxpayers.
BOYD B. MCNIEL
Pea Ridge, Ark.