Governor’s visit
Governor’s visit
By Katie Pizza
Argus Observer
Wednesday, October 1, 2008 11:41 AM PDT
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| Idaho Governor Butch Otter speaks to New Plymouth High School students during a ceremony Tuesday. Otter was in town to dedicate a new parking lot for the high school. The new 47,000 -square-foot lot, which will enhance safety for young drivers, was donated by Scott and Ann Moscrip. |
New Plymouth
New Plymouth played host to Idaho Gov. Butch Otter and his wife First Lady Lori Otter Wednesday at a dedication ceremony for the high school’s new parking lot.
The 47,400-square-foot parcel for the lot was donated to the school by local residents Scott and Anne Moscrip last spring.
The ceremony, which was open to the public, occurred in the school’s gymnasium and was planned since the Moscrips first donated the parcel to the school district last spring.
During the ceremony, Gov. Otter expressed his approval of the gift, asserting the donation gives the school “room to grow.”
Otter who said he attends between three to four educational events a week, said his wife encouraged him to come to New Plymouth for the ceremony.
Otter said he supports education, a message he discussed during the student body’s question-and- answer period.
“Education is huge in Idaho,” he said.
As for his own favorite class, Otter joked his was recess before seriously answering the question by replying history. English, he said, was not one of his stronger suits, asserting he took “bonehead” English classes when he entered college.
Moscrip also thanked the city of New Plymouth for approving a zone change — from residential to commercial — to fuel the new parking lot project.
Scott Moscrip expressed his gratitude to New Plymouth-based Maximum Heating and Cooling, the firm that managed the property as ownership moved from the Moscrips to the school; New Plymouth-based Bedrock Construction, the company that tore down the trailers on the property; and Fruitland-based Irvco Asphalt and Gravel, who put gravel on the lot.
“I thought it was great,” Scott Moscrip said of the ceremony.
Scott Moscrip said he believed the ceremony was a “great excuse to have the governor come down and talk to our kids.”
At the ceremony, students had questions regarding the economy, which Otter said could be helped in the future by students “making use of (their) education.”
“As Ben Franklin said ‘A well-educated citizenry is the best defense against tyranny.’ ”
NPHS Principal Bicker Therein thanked the governor, first lady and the Moscrips for their support. He also thanked the student body for helping with the parking transition.
“The student body of New Plymouth High School makes me proud to say ‘I’m a Pilgrim’ everyday,” he said.
After the ceremony, Gov. Otter said he was pleased with the donation given by the Moscrips to the school and said he believed more community members should do the same.
“I think it’s great for the community and the school,” he said.
The Moscrips bought the property a little more than a year ago, then held it for a year before giving it to the school.
The Moscrip donation also set the stage for another change involving how school buses pick up and drop off high school students.
Now, buses move with traffic from East Park Avenue onto U.S. Highway 30 rather than being forced to make a sharp turn from Plymouth Avenue onto the road.
