A Letter To The Editors (just a thought here)

Dear (insert editor’s name here):

As one who left Lawrence County years before the closing of the Texaco Refinery, and its subsequent short-lived resurgence under foreign ownership, I have read with interest the accounts of the progress of the soon-to-be-completed construction of the new Unit 10 (Red Hill) High School, and of the debate that seems to be raging over what to do with the old structure that is the Unit 20 (Lawrenceville) High School.

Folks, it seems you are all too “up to your butt in alligators to know when you’re in the swamp”.

Unit 10 has built, and is close to completing a new structure which can house all the high school-age students in Lawrence County. Unit 20, on the other hand, can’t seem to figure out just what it wants to do with its crumbling structure.

Consolidation, while initially painful, has worked to the benefit of all the communities in Lawrence County since 1973-74. Yes, the “Indians” remained the “Indians” and not the “Sainted Indians” (although the import of the Leighty brothers should have actually qualified for a rename at the time). Yes, the “Bulldogs” and the “Arabs” became the “Salukis”.

It seems you have forgotten how well this works, and have fallen into that trap where your civic “pride” has exceeded your common dollars and sense.

Declining numbers in your post-high school population, should be a clear indicator to you that Lawrence County is no longer a “place on the move” … unless that “move” is downward arrow on a chart somewhere. Think of how many of your high school graduates have left and do leave the county to find success elsewhere.

Give some thought to putting those millions of tax dollars to work in a more constructive manner – find funds to reverse your current course by attracting new industry, new jobs, and thus raise the standard of living within the county, rather than razing and re-raising an edifice that will only last as a monument to a diminishing population.

If nothing else, just step back a bit and just think of the talent you could put on a football field or a basketball court if your high schools were consolidated.

Come on, folks … combine Unit 10 and Unit 20 and create a “Unit 1”.

Sincerely,
Lee Brookhart
Manchester, CT