I attended the public hearing on the Potsdam School District Capital Improvement project where there were 9 people representing the public and eleven people representing the school district. The purpose of the project has been projected to be about increasing energy efficiency. This project will cost $18 million for an energy cost savings of $775,000 over 15 years. Where has the responsibility been to attend to the infrastructure problems when they showed up? More than 80 percent of the $18 million will be coming from outside the district, so of course this project will pass the people’s vote. Yet, can we as a district continue to count on outside funding for fundamental expenses?  This project may increase efficiency, but I question the sustainability of this approach to dealing with fiscal issues.