Everyone, thanks for thoughtful issues raised and discussed. Nice to see so many staying on topic.

Guardian, thanks again for both raising relevant local topics, and for providing a forum for the discussion thereof.

CWI has only been around a few years and has already demonstrated significant irresponsibility with it’s tax-grab money. Holding themselves out as champion of the underdog while wasting tens of millions on stuff they don’t need.

How do we take back the original bond issue since they apparently have money to burn… and proudly do so right under the nose of the people they stole it from.

The cost of cleaning up the Winco site by the courthouse was a cool million-plus 15 years ago.

EPA/DEQ rules have changed since then. TPH (total percent of hydrocarbon) was replaced with “Risk based assessment” and it is far more stringent and costly to remediate any hazmat issues. This was an automotively oriented property for years. If contamination does exist currently, the issues surrounding them could easily tie up any development of this property for years, with millions of CWI dollars in limbo until all interested parties are satisfied with remediation etc.

From this standpoint alone, this property should not be considered for purchase. Testing can only reveal so much. It would be tragic to literally “un-earth” long forgotten hazmat issues from under the covering of asphalt at this site. Hazmat issues which were non-issues back in the last 1960’s would most likely not be given a pass from DEQ/EPA.

CWI! Exercise your right to withdraw from this purchase immediately. The risks are simply too great regardless of price!

Government site (FAFSA) says there is only 10% graduation rate at this entity, a 50% retention rate, and only 14% transfer rate (Federal School data summary – school code 042118). Some in Idaho are quick to put down other similar institutions, like Stevens Henager, as being expensive or rip-offs, yet even that institution shows 75% graduation rate, and 62% retention on same government site (this is higher than BSU!).

Why are we making our citizens go into debt for what is, in the best cases, completion of high school level knowledge via GED, or specific-skill certificates that aren’t transferable to a 4-year college? Shouldn’t there be better-value opportunities to earn those things? Internships? On-the-job learning?

Someone commented that CWI Alumni should be outraged. How many alumni are in a position to be affected directly by tax hikes/bond purchases, who would indeed be outraged? If someone who has had an actual positive experience/improved (proven) employability, or other information they can share on a personal level due to their time at CWI, please do share! I am not otherwise convinced the potential cost to the taxpayers is justified.

…as if maybe there might be some confusion as to which deal the letter is in regards to.

I was also concerned about the CWI president’s comments. I am not sure he understands the gravity of this error he and his staff have made, the loss of trust and goodwill, and his comments how important of a property this is does not bridge the value gap nor push aside fiduciary responsibility of our tax dollars.

If CWI did not get an appraisal, did they also not get a level 1 environmental report? Could the tax payers be acquiring an environmental problem?

Since CWI did not do the most basic of due diligence with an appraisal, I am wondering what other best practices of commercial property acquisition they also omitted.