124387454_web1_Letter-to-the-editor3

Your view: Don’t let local police have radar

Chen soars to personal best and US short program victory

Might we make a modest proposal that the time is here for those who have loyally fought the consolidation of Wilkes-Barre&rsquo;s three high schools into a new building in Plains Township to concede defeat? Indeed, if you attended recent Wilkes-Barre Area School Board meetings, you may have sensed the shift already underway.
				For a long time, at least half a dozen, often more, of the opponents would speak out against the new school, voicing a wide range of well-argued reasons to reconsider. At recent meetings, the numbers have dwindled to a handful or fewer. Wednesday&rsquo;s meeting had only three residents step to the podium, and only one spoke directly against the project, calling for a moratorium on construction so the bill-payment system could be scrutinized.
				(It was budget hawk Sam Troy, and district officials gave a pretty convincing argument that oversight is extensive and sufficient).
				Attorney Kim Borland, who has been one of the most persistent and articulate critics of consolidation, voiced his opposition briefly but then turned to the question of what preparations were underway to ensure top academic offerings and student success once the school opens.
				The $121 million project is about 26 percent complete, officials said at the meeting, with about $31 million of the estimated $121 million total cost already spent. The special base of the pool has been put in place. Several sections are completely roofed, allowing workers to temporarily seal and heat them so work can continue inside even if winter weather turns harsh. The walls of the two largest sections &mdash; the gym and auditorium &mdash; are at maximum height and roof trusses are either in place or being raised. The last of the foundation and related infrastructure is done.
				The opposition, primarily in the form of the Save Our Schools organization, has argued admirably and often well, but despite the clamoring on the SOS Facebook page, it clearly did not gain sufficient traction, as proven by the failure to win a majority of seats in two school board elections (one opposition candidate won in 2017 and another last year, with a third candidate &mdash; former district employee Beth Anne Harris &mdash; voicing her own concerns but not outright rejecting consolidation).
				Opponents have likewise gained the interest of the state Auditor General&rsquo;s Office, which launched a review of the project, and the state Department of Education, which has agreed to hold a hearing regarding concerns about district compliance with construction regulations. There have also been some complaints filed regarding environmental approval of the former mining site where the school is being built.
				Those have yet to fully play out, but it is hard to picture any state of federal agency stopping the project outright. Rebukes for errors, requirements for additional paperwork or environmental safety procedures, and loss of potential state reimbursement may be on the line, but stopping the project now would be staggering waste of tax dollars &mdash; and an admission that multiple government agencies involved in oversight of the project have made colossal errors, exposing a much deeper problem.
				It seems clear that opposing the project is becoming increasingly futile, and that the energies of the opposition would be better spent making sure the new school succeeds as a superior and safe educational facility for future generations. Keep an eye on costs, on construction quality, on regulation compliance, on academic programming, and on the fate of the buildings being replaced. But with construction so far along, trying to stop the project outright is like driving forward while staring only at the rear view mirror.
				 &mdash; Times Leader

Our view: Time to end fight against new WBA school