Isn’t it amazing?
I’m referring to the estimated costs of constructing a school.
The smallest amount estimated for construction or reconstruction of Klamath Union High School is in the range of 50 plus million dollars.
That may not be much in today’s world of inflated dollars, but believe me it’s a huge amount that will certainly be difficult to sell to the general public.
A number of years ago, when a Federal judge condemned our jail, a new one was constructed at a cost of about eight million dollars.
And just a few years back when an earthquake destroyed our county courthouse, it cost about 17 million to construct not one….but two county structures.
Now…..50 million to build a school?
Strangely we still have Riverside school building which was constructed for somewhere around $1,500 back in the early 1900s….and although it has been dropped as a school building, it is still useable, and there are those speaking of establishing a charter school in that facility.
And, if memory serves me correctly, it cost about $25,000 to construct the first Klamath County High School back there in the early 1990s.
When one considers this quantum leap in construction costs….one has to wonder where this country is going. Even in the 20s a man who made $5,000 a year was in the middle class…..now it’s somewhere around 40 or 50 thousand per year.
A good two or three bedroom house in those days was priced at around $5,.000.
Today that same house could well be priced at $150,000 or more.
I’m mindful of history. At one time finances were such in Germany that even their stamps were priced at 1000 marks…or whatever it was in those days….In China at one time it took a wheelbarrow of money to buy almost anything,.
There is a constant upward spiral that continues year after year.
We don’t question the condition of KUHS. The structure was built back in the 30s. I can remember when Andrew Loney had great ambitions about the musical future of the school and funds were sought to build an adjoining theater for the students to exhibit their musical knowledge. It never really came into being.
Certainly we agree with the Herald and News that the best place to rebuild the school, if it comes to that, is on the current site. Already there is a sports complex, including a hot water pool and other facilities that should not be abandoned.
Many years ago when it was decided to build another High School, I hoped the system would go to a 6-3-3 system, but instead it continued the same structured system.
I was educated in a 6-3-3 system and it seemed to me that it was the most economical method.
However the discussion goes there will come a day when the voters will have to decide whether a new building is worth the 50 plus million dollars. That decision will also have to have a margin of 50 plus percent of the registered voters to succeed.
That’s a pretty big challenge.
This is Floyd Wynne and that’s THE VIEW FROM HERE.