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Eleven years ago, the school system overrode community objections and took the Elizabeth Stickley auditorium out of service when the old Montgomery Blair High School building was converted, depriving Silver Spring of a well-used community resource. The community has worked very hard to correct this mistake. The state provided a $600,000 bond bill. The County Council funded an architect's feasibility study. We thought we were on the right path. Sadly, in announcing his new capital budget, County Executive Ike Leggett was not with us, despite pre-election promises and the large growth in the capital budget. And now, the state funding will likely lapse.

There is only so much the citizenry can do on its own. We do not know what Leggett's plan is. But we do know that the building will not repair itself, and the adjacent Sligo Creek Elementary School and Silver Spring International Middle School will face risks associated with its disuse.

The goal was a simple one — take something that already existed, get it back into operation at the best cost possible, and make it a valuable resource that would bring together our diverse community. What are we left with now?

Stuart Moore, Silver Spring

The writer is president of Old Blair Auditorium Project Inc., a nonprofit group dedicated to renovating the facility.