Still time to save your school

Let it go! All you are doing is prolonging the inevitible and spending more of my money. Hasn't this gone on long enough? Haven't we spent enough money on inspections, renovation plans, inspections, more plans, etc. over the past several years? Stop beating a dead horse and let's move on to something else.

Rural Citizen....T H A N K Y O U ! ! ! !

The old building was not in good repair when the school decided that it was not worth the extra cost to rehab. It was not in good enough repair when two private investors looked at it and decided it was not worth it to repair. It has not gotten any better now. Cost estimates from professionals say to build new is better. The State Historical Office has said it is not cost effective to rehab. The rehab or build new decision was voted upon months ago. That decision is behind us. It was a 5-0 vote to build new. Rehabing would also have resulted in a building not designed for the purpose the city needs---like what the city currently has. Waiting to take it down would result in higher demolition costs, more expensive engineering studies and the city would lose the opportunity to use federal funds to take it down. The burden would then fall upon local taxpayers alone. The city has a long history of preservation IF it does not add large extra costs to taxpayers. The Keystone, the Norris band shell, the former YMCA, the DAR building and the pool bath house are examples. There are also examples of schools as old or older than West Ward still standing to view. Examples are Perry school, Republican Valley, East Ward, Palaside, Cedar Bluffs and in nearly every small town in our area. I believe the council hears the pain of those wanting to keep the building standing but also hears the logic of those that say it is time to say goodbye. Emotionally it could be saved but fiscally and by considering the "build to fit" the need, it is time to let go.

I fail to see the need for another vacant building in town. We have plenty and one less won't make that much difference. McCook is slowly fading away like the rest of the small towns, just not as quickly. Let the old school go, a vacant lot takes less to maintain.

Folks, if you want to see old buildings torn down to make way for new, COME TO COLORADO! Some of them aren't even abandoned or in that bad of shape. This West Ward School debate has been going on forever and with the city's decision to demolish, that should be the end of the discussion. How many McCookites would come out if your city council would do just what one or two people want and not tear it down? What if you were to just say NO to the several thousand dollars worth of funding to get this done? My guess is those that are currently complaining will continue to complain about anything and everything that the city wants to do to move forward.

If West Ward has to go, then it has to go. I still would like a brick from it, even if the memories it contains for me leaves mortality behind, when I do. I was there as a child, and remember it as a child, but now am a man and men must sometimes release childhood, for the betterment of the community.

I know one thing, for sure. When they knock down West Ward, they destroy the evidence of me cracking the hall wall with the back of my head, while being punished one day, while in second, or third grade. (^8

It is a building. It has no soul, no mind, no feelings, no heart. It is built out of materials that deteriorate over time, some now discovered to be dangerous to humans. McCook seems to have a love affair with it's past. The crumbling buildings that line Norris Avenue is a testament to that theme. Tear West Ward down, let's have a useful functional building now, and one that has a future.

By the way, how did the Romanoffs acquire so many of McCook's business buildings?

Please people stop trying to save a no longer viable or useful building. It wasn't cost effective to renovate as a school building, so why would it be now?

Get rid of it! By the way MS. Bills,it was run down before the city bought it.

Hopefully by trying to get grant money to tear it down will not slow down the process too much, the sooner it is a pile of bricks the better.

CPB-it's called money, he had it, and bought buildings at bargain prices.

I have never seen people so into saving so many buildings in this town. Good flipping grief!!!! Save the bricks and sell to those who want and/or build a small monument saying what use to stand there. PROGRESS people. Even the Historical Society says that the building is beyond repair. Move on!!!

I wish the city council would just do all McCook taxpayer a favor and approve building with out a public vote for the much needed city building at the West Ward location so these 77 out of 8000 residents can move to finding another building or cause they want to save like old airforce base concrete box??? . To bad you did not save the Romanoff building or all the numerous others......bottom line this West Ward is valuable land property only a whole square block of land and the new facility needs to be built with new up to date everything vs patched up old building that will have issues in 5-10 years for the next 100 vs doing it right now...

Looks like the majority of responders on the website are against saving the old barn.

Many of us should try and call in to Open Line and let people know how you feel about this.

It would help balance out the idiots that call in and spread the lies that all too many people believe. Such as the guy that called in on Tuesday and lied about the what the council is trying to do. Best part of it was when Rich told him he should run for the city council. Needless to say he is not going to run, using a lie to decline.

I can get a hold of a couple sledge hammers if helps speed up the process.