Ten years have passed since my first child began school at Lake Street Elementary. Since then, all four of my children have “graduated” from there. During this time, my tax dollars were being used to provide necessary improvements or additions at Fairview, Sherwood Heights, ELHS, Washburn and East Auburn. My children have had to eat lunch at a desk, be bused to another school for gym and go to a trailer for library. I’ve waited for our school facility needs to be addressed.

The state has already agreed to put $8.1 million into our community, 84 percent of the total cost of this project. Financially, the timing could not be better.

The remaining amount, which the city of Auburn has to pay, will not increase our tax burden because some of the earlier improvements are being paid off just as this new loan for the Lake Street School improvement takes effect. This results in no new tax increases for our city, and we obtain the same facilities that have been provided to the other Auburn neighborhoods.

I hope voters will see the fairness of this request and support the Lake Street community the way we have supported projects with city tax dollars in other neighborhood schools. It is good for Auburn to keep the schools and neighborhoods vibrant with children happily walking to school. It is one of the biggest reasons I chose to come back to this community to live and raise my family.

Pamela Philbrook Leary, Auburn

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