Letters for Jan. 29, 2024

We are investing in our community

By voting “yes” for the Deer Park Schools building bond, as well as the education programs and operations levy, you are actively adding value to your community. By reconfiguring grade levels in the primary schools, adding an additional elementary building and relocating the bus garage, the school district will continue to be able to provide safe and secure educational facilities for our growing community. The district is striving for no new taxes from this bond and levy; they are replacing the current 20-year high school renovation bond, and the levy is renewable every three years.

The additional elementary building and new bus garage will be located next to the current elementary school on East D Street. The new buildings will be compliant with the latest state energy mandates and relocating the bus garage from its current site northwest of Deer Park, near the Highway 395, to the location across town next to the schools will have a major impact on operational efficiency.

Additionally, there are plans to extend D Street, the current elementary and future primary school and bus garage location, to connect with Crawford Street/Deer Park Milan. This extension is expected to alleviate significant traffic congestion in the vicinity of the schools.

Our schools not only offer vocational training, varied educational opportunities and athletic programs, but the buildings host many community activities and recreational sports events. When investing in our schools, we are investing in our community.

Peggy Coyle

Deer Park

Remove the demand for drugs

In a letter on Jan. 25 (“Solving homelessness isn’t done locally”), Ed Walther listed that addiction is the root cause of many people being homeless and that we need to shut down the supply of drugs to help solve the problem.

Unfortunately, the war on drugs has been a failure for decades. Instead, we need to address the societal issues, such as income inequality and lack of opportunities that cause people to turn to drugs. If you remove the demand for drugs, there will no longer be incentive for the suppliers.

Marty Weiser

Liberty Lake