Editor:
The article on the front page of Saturdays edition states that the school district would agree to direct the general contractor ... to organize and host local labor fairs to promote active local participation in the construction of the new MCHS.
A resolution means nothing. The only way for the school district to guarantee that local contractors are used would be for the specs on the project to include a provision that local contractors be given preference over non-local contractors, i.e., a contractor located within the bounds of the school district would have a 5 percent preference over contractors located outside of the district.
The school district and area residents are pushing hard for this project to be approved. They want us to agree to a tax increase and say that they will pass a resolution to promote active local participation. Would that be the same local participation that was in place when they selected Denver contractors to replace lighting in district buildings when there are several qualified local contractors?
They want my tax dollars but have not shown that they are willing to use local contractors that are qualified and instead have taken my tax dollars and sent them to Denver.
If a student wants to learn, they are going to learn whether they are in a new or old building. The school board needs to remember that this is a two-way street and they should support local contractors in the same way that they want local contractors to support them.
Dick Giesler
Cortez
Via email