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We recently contacted Phoenixville Area School Board officials to request a tour of the old Schuylkill Elementary School facilities. The purpose of this visit would purely be informational, without an accompanying story. We did hope to shoot video of the building's interior to post on the website, to show the structure's condition and let you, the public, decide for yourselves whether the building is in as good of condition as supporters of reusing it say it is, or as bad as School Board officials and others say.
With two conflicting stances, both with reports, studies and first-hand statements supporting their claims, we thought it would be best to see for ourselves what one of the main topics of discussion for both Schuylkill and the School Board actually looked like, and let you make your own conclusions as to the state of the building.
Here is the response from a PASB official to our request:
"At this time I would not want any folks in the building who did not need to be in the building. It does have moisture and mold issues, and we do not have utilities available for the building."
Certainly this is reasonable; for liability issues, anyone would be reluctant to allow people into a building that could prove hazardous (and has, judging from photos of reactions people have suffered, allegedly from said mold/moisture).
But I feel a stronger effort could be made on their part to attempt to help us; don't show us the whole building, only basic parts, have appropriate personnel with us, schedule the meeting for a time of day where lack of utilities wouldn't matter. in any case, I know myself and Matt (who would have shot the video) wouldn't mind holding it in until we got to a working bathroom, or bringing flashlights.
If anything, the video could have helped the PASB's case that the building should be demolish, if it showed the deterioation and mold they say is in there. But apparently, only those who need to be in there can enter. I wonder if the taxpayers who could end up funding the building's reuse fall into that category as well?
Posted by
Brian McCarthy
With two conflicting stances, both with reports, studies and first-hand statements supporting their claims, we thought it would be best to see for ourselves what one of the main topics of discussion for both Schuylkill and the School Board actually looked like, and let you make your own conclusions as to the state of the building.
Here is the response from a PASB official to our request:
"At this time I would not want any folks in the building who did not need to be in the building. It does have moisture and mold issues, and we do not have utilities available for the building."
Certainly this is reasonable; for liability issues, anyone would be reluctant to allow people into a building that could prove hazardous (and has, judging from photos of reactions people have suffered, allegedly from said mold/moisture).
But I feel a stronger effort could be made on their part to attempt to help us; don't show us the whole building, only basic parts, have appropriate personnel with us, schedule the meeting for a time of day where lack of utilities wouldn't matter. in any case, I know myself and Matt (who would have shot the video) wouldn't mind holding it in until we got to a working bathroom, or bringing flashlights.
If anything, the video could have helped the PASB's case that the building should be demolish, if it showed the deterioation and mold they say is in there. But apparently, only those who need to be in there can enter. I wonder if the taxpayers who could end up funding the building's reuse fall into that category as well?
Posted by
Brian McCarthy
posted by The Phoenix Files at
8:32 AM
4 Comments:
Brian, go back with your request. We do have a collective right to see the condition of that building, after all, it's our tax dollars that will be spent if this hair-brained idea goes through.
I took exception when I read an article in which someone (Cohen?) made the case for a reuse of the building by township residents.
TOWNSHIP RESIDENTS??? Wait a cotton-pickin' minute. Phoenixville AREA School District is where we all pay those big bucks, and if there's a building being rehabed by OUR tax money, shoot, we all have access to whatever it turns out to be, not just TOWNSHIP RESIDENTS.
Go forth and fight for that access, Brian.
To Anonymous:
PASD has stated they won't use school tax dollars for the building. Friends of Schuylkill School and Barbara Cohen propose to use SCHUYLKILL Township taxes and grants/private donations to rehab the building. Since a use for it hasn't been determined its too early to tell who the building will be accessible to. the township just approved a term sheet last night offering to grant a demolition permit if defined milestones aren't met by 2009 spring. they will present to the school board tonight.
I assume the land is owned by PASD. If the township takes over the building, will they pay rent? A reasonable amount?
Then if PASD has to expand the Schuylkill School, they'll have to find and purchase new land (which is slowing disappearing) for new buildings.
Let's tear the damn thing down before the citizen's go broke paying for rehabbing a building.
Foundry Building -- $5 Millon dollars invested and still barely used.
The track record of the person spearheading the Schuylkill School effort is neither cost-efficient or timely with re-use.
The school district's priority should be the education of the district's children -- if the Schuylkill School isn't appropiate for that function, tear it down and use the land for the children's education.
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