To the editor:
There are two local issues that have been running around in my head lately. The first is the proposed Career Technical Education (CTE) Center. The Nov. 21 Community News Brief article described the current state of the project, along with what has been agreed upon, and what sticking points remain.
It is great that the Macomb School District and Spoon River College have been working closely to coordinate efforts to bring this worthwhile project to fruition. While I understand Dr. Twomey’s concerns about transportation, I believe the better location would be the SRC campus on East Jackson Street. This site has greater visibility for anyone passing through town. Parking and traffic flow would also be much safer at this location. The high school traffic at certain times each day is already backed up at Grant Street.
More importantly, the CTE Center will feel more like a regional adult education and skills enhancement center at the college. It would be hard to shake the feeling that the center is mostly geared toward local high school students on the MHS campus.
The second topic I fret about is the huge sports facility being proposed. The cost is staggering, and it will only benefit a small percent of our population. The financial return to the community will be slow as we spent decades trying to pay off this 60-million-dollar debt.
