by Ericka Dowd, Hamilton
I grew up in a small town, one much smaller than ours. A place where a Class C basketball game draws all available residents, neighbors help neighbors, and schools and churches are the centers for which most social events occur. When my husband and I came to the valley over twenty years ago, it was these same values that drew us here, to raise our kids in an environment where the community, as a whole, supports their growth and development as students and as the future of our small town.
On April 14th, ballots began arriving in mailboxes throughout our district. On it, you will see a bond and levy proposal by the Hamilton School District. If passed, HSD3 will have the ability to begin to build a middle school that will support students long into the future. This is an important moment for Hamilton for several reasons.
First, I wish we could teleport back to the 90s and build both a high school and a middle school. The cost difference from then to now is nearly 5X. Meaning, the proposed middle school today costs roughly 55 million dollars and the same building in the 90s would have been roughly 10 million. What will the cost be in 5, 10, or 15 years? Additionally, time will not erase the lack of green space, the traffic flow difficulties, the outdated wiring/plumbing/heating, or increase the security to the campus. This is an important moment for Hamilton.
Good schools and facilities bring good services to the community. Over the past twenty years we have seen our medical community and support services to the area grow, allowing us to make the trek to “the city” less often. With this growth comes young families who look at what potential communities have to offer their children in terms of schools. If we want to continue to attract these professionals who provide essential services to all demographics, we need to invest in those things that attract them here. Schools are a big part of that attraction. This is an important moment for Hamilton.
The High School entry needs updating in order to provide the safest environment possible to our young people and the staff the school employs. Defining a clear entry to the school and moving the high school administration offices closer to that entry allows this to happen. Our students deserve the safest possible environment. This is an important moment for Hamilton.
I am grateful to have raised and continue to raise my children in this community where we understand the delicate balance of meeting the needs of all members of the community. When you support schools, you support those who provide services to all. When ballots hit our boxes this week, it is my hope that we will remember this is an important moment for Hamilton.