Tribune staff editorial

Central High School is only worth a buck? Surely somebody must be joking? Or lying? Either of those two possibilities would make a good story for the paper, but the truth is more complicated and probably more boring.

Thursday, March 21, 2002

Central High School is only worth a buck? Surely somebody must be joking? Or lying? Either of those two possibilities would make a good story for the paper, but the truth is more complicated and probably more boring. Central High School is an old building. It holds a lot of value for a lot of people in this community. But nostalgia doesn’t pay the electricity bill or provide heat or help with maintenance.

The economic truth is that the district saved itself a lot of money by not having to pay to demolish the structure -&160;perhaps a few million dollars, considering the cost of dealing with the asbestos and other environmental contaminants in the building. The long-term view makes this a good deal for the school. The fact that the land is now in private hands and will become a source of property-tax revenue for city, school and county is also a good thing for other taxpayers.

That’s just the beginning. Now it’s time for people to come forward with their ideas on how to use the property. Surely there must be people with the entrepreneurial spirit and the willingness to take risks on something that is potentially exciting. And when it comes to projects that make use of the Cap Emmons Auditorium, you could probably count on both the good will of the developer, who thinks it is a beautiful facility, as well as that of those in the community who really want to see that auditorium remain in use, as it should.

Maybe it’s time for everyone to think outside of the traditional box we place on ideas for what we can build in our community.

Whatever your own thoughts about how to best use the buildings, now is the time for dreaming and proposing. The old high school served the community well in its former life; its future life will be just as successful if people help make it happen.