| 06/27/2007 |
| Engineering study deals blow to South Park school
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| By: BETH
GALLASPY , The Enterprise
|
BEAUMONT - South Park Middle School, a 1923 building
that served as a beloved high school for more than six decades and
was the original home of what became Lamar University, should be
replaced rather than renovated to save money, consultants for the
Beaumont Independent School District recommend in a new engineering
study.
"Given the number of deficient
systems and costs associated with replacements, renovating this
building will be significantly higher than rebuilding new," Johnnie
Jordan, project manager for Parsons-3D/I of Houston, wrote to
Beaumont Superintendent Carrol Thomas in a letter accompanying the
study.
The school district requested the study as part of an
effort to develop a bond proposal to present to voters in
November.
A Community Bond Advisory Committee charged by
school trustees with crafting a proposal last met in early March.
With the study now complete, committee co-chair Dr. David Teuscher
said he hopes to start meeting again, possibly as soon as next
week.
The study, performed by CSF Engineers of Houston for
Parsons-3D/I, does not estimate exactly how much it would cost to
renovate the school versus building a new one. It simply says
renovation costs would be "significantly greater," especially if the
district intends to retain the historical appearance and value of
the building.
Among the high-cost items associated with
renovation cited in the report are asbestos remediation and the need
to replace and re-slope the roof to eliminate leaks and
ponding.
The building's mechanical, electrical and plumbing
systems likely would need "significant attention and/or replacement
upon renovation," according to the report. However, those areas are
beyond the expertise of CSF Engineers, and the firm provided no
details of what work might be needed.
On a more positive
note, the engineering company found the main building had "no signs
of excessive structural distress."
South Park alumni started
a petition drive to save the building earlier this year when bond
committee deliberations included the possibility of closing the
middle school. Sherry Moyer Sharp, South Park High Class of 1965,
said the petition has about 2,800 signatures
now.
"Sure, they can make it cheaper because look what
they're going to be using for building materials. But it's not going
to be comparable to what we've got now," Sharp said by telephone. "I
would hope that they would be more sensitive to history ... There's
structures in this country that are a whole lot older than that and
they're doing fine."
Teuscher said he still has many
questions for Parsons-3D/I representatives, and the consultants'
recommendations did not necessarily mean the committee would
recommend tearing down South Park.
"My preference would be to
rehabilitate the building," Teuscher said by
telephone.
bgallaspy@beaumontenterprise.com
(409) 880-0726
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