To the Editor:
I recently had the opportunity to take the high school tour in order to see firsthand what the challenges are for the building. There are many, it turns out.
The boiler is old, a relic from 1996 that manufacturers no longer have replacement parts for, and it is housed in a room that contains asbestos.
The ceiling in the Special Ed area is warped from leaks, and the room is inadequately sized to accommodate wheelchairs or aide equipment. The trades education area is unheated and peppered with ceiling leaks, and the classroom above the trade area is inaccessible to those who cannot take stairs. The preschool room is very undersize for the possible 15 children that are legally able to use it. I counted 14 used plastic bins, rather than cubbies or hooks for coats.
The lighting appeared dim throughout the hallways, and with the many leaks, I wonder about electrical safety. I know this building is used to house several community programs such as adult education courses, and that the Councils on Aging sponsor luncheons in the cafeteria. Summer school student programming remains here as well.
I was impressed with the coursework-to-career programs that have been instituted despite the staff working with kids in these conditions. Children and the staff deserve safer and more inspiring surroundings in which to learn and instruct.
I encourage people to please go see for yourselves before you make your decisions on the renovation project vote. The cost is astronomical to most of us, but as we all know, the costs will only go up, and as one person said, trying to fix anything this far gone with a Band-Aid approach “is like putting lipstick on a pig.”
Cecily Bryant
Vineyard Haven