I am responding to the letters and articles regarding the hockey arena. I am opposed, as many are, to this. The hockey association has huge support of this from our legislators that were voted into office last fall with the promises in their campaigns to
get education fully funded. How then can either Rep. Kiffmeyer or Sen. Fobbe be in favor of this kind of irresponsible funding?
Our schools are in desperate need of funding to fully educate our student body, and they get behind the hockey arena! $500,000 dollars could do a lot in the schools. This is a slap in the face to our school board, the students and the families of Big Lake.
Last fall when the hockey association came to the school board meeting to get the boards vote on this issue, was shameful on their part. Once they got the vote they wanted, they all left the meeting. The next thing on the agenda for that meeting was a discussion on the referendum that is desperately needed in this district. They did not stick around for that part of the meeting, and then for them to say they are only trying to do what is best for the children of this district. I would think education is first, not hockey.
The support that seems to be coming in for this is at about 3 1/2% or about 300 out of 9000 are attending functions regarding this. I would think that would show there is not a huge support for this. Not a huge majority.
In closing I will say this, I cannot see how any legislator or governing body can OK funding for any kind of arena or stadium when our education funding is lacking. I know that jobs can be brought in for these arenas, but what about the jobs that funding can either save or open in the schools here in our district. Hopefully these people can sleep at night. Take it from a spouse of a school board member, he does a lot of tossing and turning over the issues that are on the plate of this school board.
