Letter to the Editor: "Let's send the High School up the hill."

"I can't claim that this idea was my original idea, because a friend suggested it while we were discussing the impasse that has seemed to have developed regarding a new elementary school.  Their suggestion was to build a new high school up at the Vennehjem land that was offered at one time for the new elementary school. The idea is simply that by building a new high school outside of the current city limits you greatly decrease the amount of traffic (and new drivers, I might add) in the already incredibly congested high school and John Cline Elementary area.  

This morning I biked with my kindergartner to John Cline for the first time, and I quickly realized what an insane traffic nightmare it is.  First, it's already a very, very small area, even without adding all the traffic going to virtually the exact same space at the exact same times.  So fundamentally it seems flawed. Second, you have relatively new drivers rushing to stay on time and you have the youngest school children trying to stay safe and out of the way.  

Now with the influx of new drivers from North Winneshiek I can only imagine it will get worse.  I wonder if a high school built on the northeast side of Decorah (Vennehjem area) would at least meet the new North Winn students a small part of the way?  At least they wouldn't have to navigate downtown traffic twice a day.

Maybe a bus barn could be built on some of the Vennehjem property, so that the buses didn't need to go as far?

I'm willing to concede a flaw I see in my plan is proximity to the beautiful athletic fields.  Of course, the Vennehjem property would give the high school ample space for amazing practice fields, and many high schools have their main game day fields separated from their high schools.

We pay A LOT in taxes in Decorah, let's use the school money wisely and think about our future growth and plan for it.  I would propose tearing down John Cline, relocating the K through 2 classes to Carrie Lee or the Middle School, turning Thomas Roberts into the middle school and building a new high school and bus facility on the generous amount of land offered by Vennejhem.

What do you think?"