To the editor:

At a time when there is such polarization and division in politics, local Democratic and Republican leaders have found an issue in which they can join together to wholeheartedly support. That issue is the proposed new K-8 Salem City school building complex which is on the ballot this November 7th, and for which early voting has already begun.

As a part of our due diligence, we are touring all three of Salem’s existing elementary schools. And what we have seen so far, the Reilly School Building dating back to 1928, shocked us beyond our worst expectations.

We witnessed corridor flooring of painted concrete floors like you might see in old county jails, as new jails have “finished” floor coverings. We witnessed exposed, rusted pipes throughout the school building, with blistered, peeling paint on ceilings and walls like you might see in condemned buildings.

Almost one half of the bathrooms (seven of them) are closed off and not in use due to failed plumbing. And those bathrooms that are in use are shot. The floors are cracked travertine, for instance, with ceramic tile unevenly overlaying some parts of the floor, posing a slip hazard that would not conform with today’s building codes.

The under-sized gymnasium is not fit for team athletic events. And, the stage in the gym, once used for student musical and acting performances, is likewise woefully inadequate and no longer usable.

Similarly, the school kitchen is little more than a “warming kitchen” as prepared food has to come from our high school kitchen across town.

Alas, the classrooms are small, cramped and, frankly, decrepit. Children’s work tables are delaminated and worn with age. There is no space for student supplies. We were appalled at the sheer inadequacy of these student spaces.

We could go on, but suffice in our assurance that you would not want your children or grandchildren being educated in such a dilapidated, ill-equipped and inferior school building. There is nothing, frankly, about Reilly School that would make it worth preserving.

With the lion’s share of the proposed new school building, $48 million out of the total of $60 million it will cost, being paid for by the state and by a $10 million grant from the Salem Community Foundation, Salem property owners are being asked to assume, on average, a mere $6 – 8 dollars in increased taxes per month as their share of the cost. What a bargain, folks.

In the final analysis, we have seen what neglect of city assets does to communities in other parts of our county. Do we want that for Salem? And just what does it say of this community if we do not care enough about our kids to provide them with the best start in life that is possible?

Please join us in casting a YES vote for the Salem School Levy, whether you are a Democrat, Republican or Independent voter. This is what’s best for Salem.

Respectfully submitted,

Charley Kidder,

Chairman, Columbiana County Democratic Party

Patty Colian,

Vice Chairman, Columbiana County Democratic Party

Dave Johnson,

Chairman, Columbiana County Republican Party