Letter to the Editor / Maureen Bramlage

You have authorized the expenditure of $3.25M for the purchase of land on Stock Island for a new transportation center.  Do you have an estimated cost for building said transportation center?  I believe the public should know the TOTAL cost.

I do not profess to know enough about this purchase or the property to be able to weigh in with an opinion –BUT- as at least those of you familiar with me know, I have a broad general opinion of Schools’ real estate based on my observations of MCSD performance for over ten years when it comes to managing real estate –  purchase, development, maintenance – the entire spectrum.

I think it’s fair to say that the people involved are not more expert than most people in general, and should not be making big real estate decisions.

Why did the people of Key West vote years ago that any real estate purchase over one million dollars had to go to referendum?  Apparently the general public agree that our elected officials are not competent to make big decisions outside their own areas of expertise.  It shocks me to be reminded, that in spite of their many failures in the area of real estate in just the past decade, our School officials are still able to make, without public input,  decisions such as those that leave us with Marathon Manor, the loss from the public domain of the beautiful, historic Harris School, cost overruns on HOB, including the illegitimate “concessions” building, the sad and neglected unused Reynolds School,  properties everywhere in deplorable condition, etc. etc. ad infinitum.

When I brought up maintenance years ago to the Board’s longest-sitting member I was told that it doesn’t pay to maintain the buildings because they

become outdated and useless.  The awake public and I strongly disagree.  That buildings can be saved and repurposed is well underscored by the

restored Glynn Archer School, which we the public fought for and showed you our will.   I have always gotten the feeling that the involved officials “love to play real estate” with our hard earned tax dollars.  Why not?  No personal risk in living vicariously.

I am sorry to have to feel and express such negativity about my elected officials, and I hope my own representative,  Mr. Highsmith , will apply his special area of expertise and adequate time and energy to this issue.  I chose the Schools years ago as the part of government I wanted to monitor, because of my education and teaching background.  I wound up steeped in the real estate issues because of my later experience in building and land development.  I add this only to validate slightly, the general opinions I have stated.

Maureen Bramlage

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