With no shortage of irony, Brynne Fairbanks’ Letter to the Editor on Oct 4th titled “APS Board Critics are Leaving out Facts” was filled with misleading information and zero facts. Where do I begin?! I’ll start by addressing the false information about the rain garden project that was voted down by school board members Eric Lawson, Sarah Costain, Monica Dziesinski and AJ MacArthur.

Fairbanks stated there were no volunteers who would tend the garden during summer breaks. She also stated there was no budget to cover the cost of yearly soil sampling and replacement plants. Superintendent Rabbideau stated in the March 23rd discussion preceding the vote (YouTube: APS School Board Meetings March 23, 2025, beginning at the 1:08 mark) that a NUMBER of community groups had come forward and volunteered to help maintain the garden and would likely cover the yearly sampling and plant replacement, all of which would be nominal yearly costs. Rabbideau stated this twice, clearly and in understandable language. Yet, Lawson, Costain, Dziesinski and MacArthur voted down the rain garden. So, this is what our community lost:

1. A $150,000 project that, in addition to the rain garden, included thousands of dollars to replace parking lot infrastructure

2. A hands-on learning opportunity in ecological processes for 3,700 APS students in this year alone, and thousands in the years to come

3. Cleaner drinking water via the natural pollutant filtering system a rain garden provides

4. Lost opportunity for community and school engagement in building and maintaining a beneficial community-wide project.

Maximal benefit with minimal associated costs, and voted down. This from board members who have willingly wasted thousands of our tax dollars in pursuit of their damaging personal agendas – crushing the rain garden project being one of their agenda items. Go figure.

Christine Brennan

Ossineke