This referendum is not the right choice

Some have come out and asked why I'm against a school? Or they have asked, “You don't pay taxes in this district; why do you care?”If you've read my articles closely you'll quickly find out that I've spent considerable time and effort in giving you information to show that there are other options out there.  I'm not against building a school addition.  I'm against waste and abuse of the taxpayer dollars.  I do pay a considerable amount of taxes in Chickasaw County and have invested heavily in my operation here.My kids went to New Hampton High School and I am not sure if any of them would come back here to raise their families. They would come back for a job or opportunity here, not because of a school.  As a concerned taxpayer and citizen here, I've seen New Hampton change over the years.  A lot of businesses are gone and some were replaced.  Extra money spent in taxes is money that won't be spent in New Hampton businesses.   The New Hampton school district used to be well over 2,000 students, and now we are under 1,000.  I care where New Hampton, the community, goes.  I know we can afford the school now, but who'll be left to pay for it in 20 years?After Jay Jurrens handed us a copy of what the 5-8 addition could be, I ran with the ideas to the local contractors I know.  They would take a lot of pride in helping New Hampton with this project.  I don't believe someone from Omaha, Neb., has your best concerns in mind as they leave town with a truckload of your money.  We did not undersize this school and we left expansion as one of our first priorities. We have a plan for getting all students to the high school area in two years for under $15 million. Interested in hearing about that?  Our previous architect, one that built the CWC, would be interested in making a presentation to New Hampton offering a different view.  We have copies of that earlier proposal also.  I'm trying to accomplish the same goal of the  addition and gym. I just took more time looking at these options and know that we could do this job for a lot less cost.I know this, if you are pricing the same home with two different builders and one builder that you trust is 40 percent cheaper, that would be the route you would take.  I've taken that same approach here.  We can accomplish the same goal at a much lower cost.