To the editor:

At the last city council meeting, the city council voted to remove the “fair market value” requirement from the Suzuki property sale. Why should islanders lose money on the one piece of land that is so valuable to our schools and our children’s educational resource’s?

At last January’s intergovernmental meeting the council refused to sit down with parks and school district to discuss a land swap because (as

I was told) the city needed the profits from the sale to offset the cost of the new police station. It seems to me that if that were true, then the city would try to maximize the profit from the sale, not lose money by taking less than “fair market value,” which it just voted to do on July 21.

Given this vote islanders will be short-changed out of profits for the police station and lose the only piece of land connecting four of our island schools. It is perfect for our future educational needs — whether it be the opportunity to add a variety of environmental education programs and/or sustainable farming learning program from compost to harvest. It could support a performing arts center for all four schools to share, function as a new building for Odyssey, Eagle Harbor High School, a Spanish immersion school or a Woodward annex (getting rid of the trailers).

This piece of land should be swapped to the schools; there are plenty of other pieces of land available for development, why should we lose money on the one piece of land that is so valuable to our schools and island kids.

Please contact the council members and tell them to swap Suzuki with the school district; council@bainbridgewa.gov.

DIANNE STEVER

Bainbridge Island