Port Angeles is moving in the right direction.
All around town our community is coming together and supporting each other in a variety of ways.
There is a new Boys & Girls Club, William Shore Memorial Pool, Port Angeles Waterfront Performing Center and a beautiful hotel.
Downtown has an energetic vibe and features new merchants, eateries, taprooms, a fitness center, a skating rink and our beloved Black Ball Ferry Line.
The Chamber of Commerce organized community awards honoring dedicated citizens and business owners who are working for and investing in our future.
Among of all this encouraging activity, our schools are at a tipping point and deserve our full support now.
We are past the point for paint and spackle, new heat pumps, and the splicing of PVC piping and wiring.
Two of five schools are rated as being in “poor condition,” and Franklin Elementary is deemed “unsatisfactory.”
Within 10 years, all five schools will be in poor or unsatisfactory condition.
It is apparent that school leadership has listened to the concerns of citizens.
The plan is cognizant of the financial reality of working families and those with fixed incomes.
Last year the district tightened its belt, refrained from levying new taxes, and trimmed over 2 million dollars from the budget.
There are pauses every five years to allow citizens to vote, based on performance and deliverables.
2020 is the year that Port Angeles voters should feel confident about voting yes for the future of our students and the entire Port Angeles community.
Paul Cunningham
Port Angeles