I am writing in response to a letter in your paper from Carol Jenson-Linton concerning athletic facilities in the county high schools.

Let me begin by stating that I believe that a stadium should be constructed at Starr's Mill as soon as practical. This is not just because we have many dear friends who are Starr's Mill families and students attending there who I coached in youth sports, but because it is simply the right thing to do.

That said, however, I believe that Ms. Jenson-Linton is entirely wrong in making her case that this should be the highest priority of the school system and that the new school should be provided a facility much more elaborate than those at the other three high schools. I make my rebuttal primarily with illustrations from McIntosh, since I am much more familiar with our situation, but I am sure that Fayette County and Sandy Creek have their own points to make as well.

Ms. Jenson-Linton begins by assuming that the McIntosh gym was wonderful by the standards of its day, incorrectly placing it 20 years ago. The McIntosh gym, opened in the fall of 1981, was always undersized and has NEVER been air-conditioned. Compare this gym, even when brand new, to the other three schools.

Bear in mind, we have NO auditorium or other meeting spot like the auditorium provided at the Starr's Mill complex. And yes, I am aware of the process for placing seats in the auditorium, but the fact remains that even without the private funds, Starr's Mill was provided a decent facility for large meetings. Try attending a parents meeting in the McIntosh gym in August and see if you think we have equal facilities.

The stadium at McIntosh is not only by far the smallest in the county, it is, as far as I have been able to determine, the smallest facility in the state for a school of our classification.

Ms. Jenson-Linton goes on to state that the McIntosh "wrestling room is about twice the size of Starr's Mill's." First, the McIntosh "wrestling room" is actually two classrooms with a moveable curtain between them. Secondly, it was added, as memory serves, seven years after the school opened. Before the addition opened, McIntosh wrestlers practiced in the school cafeteria, just as you say your school's team does currently.

She then questions the school board's decision to provide an eight-lane track at McIntosh during the renovation of the old six-lane model. Ms. Jenson-Linton, the state now requires an eight-lane track to hold the large meets. Repairing the old McIntosh track had been approved and funded several years ago, but for various reasons had not been completed. The addition of the two lanes added about 5 percent to the cost, according to the figures I was given. Now we have at least one track in the county that qualifies to hold the meets so track and field athletes from all four schools will be able to compete close to home on occasion, as opposed to always traveling long distances.

And bear in mind, the planned track for Starr's Mill will be eight lanes. It would be foolish to build a six-lane model with today's rules.

Ms. Jenson-Linton then goes on to try to justify the need for more locker rooms for Starr's Mill. Do you know, Ms. Jenson-Linton, that the new high school already has more than twice the number of locker rooms and lockers that we have at McIntosh?

We could go on for pages debating the athletic facilities provided for each school, but we need to bear in mind that the school board is responsible not just to student-athletes, but to those young men and women who participate in the band, in drama and other school-based groups. And the youth who choose not to go out for extra-curricular activities are still just as deserving of a first-class education.

Ms. Jenson-Linton, are you aware that many McIntosh students sit in the floor to eat lunch because there aren't enough seats in the cafeteria?

Compare the modern technology provided at Starr's Mill to that present at our school. Look at the band rooms, classrooms, and on and on and on.

I believe that if you make an honest comparison of our facilities in total, you will have to agree that Starr's Mill has definitely received the long end of the deal.

I do agree with you on your statement that the board needs to "make our situation equitable with the other schools in the county."

I too believe that this needs to be done yesterday, but we have to be reasonable and accept the fact that, when all is said and done, the school board also is responsible to the taxpayers of this county.

We need to all work together to provide a quality total education at all four high schools that is as equal as is reasonably possible as quickly as practical.