While living in a 100-year-old home can be charming, it's usually not the best when it comes to energy efficiency, safety, and modern conveniences.

The same can be said for our kids in Bayfield attending their first three years of school in a century-old building.

That beautiful building was built for a different age, and its time has passed.

To that end, I hope Bayfield voters will support building a new school for third through fifth graders, while providing some needed renovations to the current elementary school and middle school.

Parking at both schools is hazardous right now, especially at drop-off and pick-up times.

The cost for most homeowners is pretty reasonable - about $18 per month for a $300,000 home. It will hit those of us who own commercial property at a much higher rate, but that's one of the joys of Colorado's convoluted Gallagher Amendment.

Our current schools are also overcrowded. We can build a new school now with the help of an $8.57 million state grant, or we can kick the can down the road, lose the grant, and have to build a new school later at higher cost without the state funding.

Bayfield School District would like to keep the old primary school buildings for public use, and the proposal by Upper Pine Fire District to turn it into a downtown fire station and community center has some merit and deserves further exploration.

In the meantime, let's get our kids into a modern and safer building.