Let’s do it

Thursday, January 28, 2010

Kudos to the Milford School Board for trying, once again, to get a four-classroom addition to the Jacques School with the aim of housing public kindergarten. It won’t be easy.

Last year, the project got a majority vote, but failed to get the 60 percent “supermajority” needed to pass a major bond issue.

We certainly understand the reluctance of some voters to opt for spending during an economic downturn, and it’s not impossible to argue that times aren’t all that much better, despite a remarkable rally in the stock market.

But the economics aren’t that bad. First of all, the state is still willing to pay for 75 percent of the kindergarten construction costs, leaving Milford with $438,000 to raise through taxes over 10 years. What’s that mean?

Well, in the first year, it would mean a tax hit of 1 cent per $1,000 of assessed value. If your house is assessed at $300,000, it would cost you $3.

In the final year of the bond, it would cost you $7.

In between, you’d pay more than $3 but less than $7. Let’s say it averages out to $5 over the course of the bond. That means you’d pay $50 over 10 years. That’s not so bad.

The potential bad news involves state funding. School Board Chairman Peter Bragdon – who, not so incidentally, is a state senator – warned at a recent budget hearing that funding might be cut off this year. That would leave Milford on its own. That wouldn’t be so good.

So let’s move ahead on this when voting day comes up in March. Let’s rally the troops, get them to the polls and vote for this project. The school board favors it, 4-1, and members aren’t exactly spendthrifts.

At the budget hearing, Jim Robinson, a Milford resident, suggested school officials make sure the new addition has enough space for future growth and that school staff had some input into the plans – both good suggestions. Bragdon, however, said that enrollment projections for the next 10 years are low, but added that predicting growth can be tricky. He’s right.

But given the desirability of Milford, isn’t it logical to assume that population will grow? And that among the growing population will be kids of, or soon to be of, kindergarten age? Seems reasonable. Planning ahead is best.

And getting school staff involved is a no-brainer. They have to work there, they have to deal with any problems, so get them involved from the beginning. The more minds, the better.

A voice silenced

It’s entirely possible that the vast majority of people reading this have no idea who Kate McGarrigle was. She died of cancer Jan. 18, and if you’ve never heard of her, nor heard the music she made with her sister Anna, you have missed something special.

But thanks to the marvel of the Internet, it’s not too late and even the kids can find something good in this:

First, Google “The Log Driver’s Waltz,” and find the YouTube version. It starts out with video of real Canadian log drivers, then switches to animation and the voices of Kate and Anna singing “The Log Driver’s Waltz.” It’s oceans of fun … well, for a little more than three minutes, anyway. But you can watch it more than once.

Then, go to their Web site at www.mcgarrigles.com. There is a fantastic clip of Kate’s last performance, Dec. 9, at the Royal Albert Hall, doing her new song, “Proserpina.” You’ll be able to tell that she isn’t well, but the performance is still magical.

If you haven’t heard of her, perhaps you know the work of her former husband, Louden Wainwright III, or of their children, Martha Wainwright or Rufus Wainwright (he played the Portsmouth Music Hall not too long ago). If you don’t know the work of Martha or Rufus, visit the Wadleigh Memorial Library in Milford and find the video tribute to Leonard Cohen called “I’m Your Man.”

It, too, is magical.