Old schools stand strong, why rush to build new?
Letter to the Editor,
In 2018 the Ohio Facilities Construction Commission evaluated all the Wooster City school buildings. While all these buildings required work, the one that needed the most costly renovations was the newest, Wooster High School.
In 2018 dollars, the high school needed $29,678,288 in renovations, most of which still need to be done. It is unclear what this cost would be in today’s dollars or how it would be paid for. What we do know is Wooster High School was built to serve 1,965 students in ninth grade through 12th grade and now, including grade eight, has only 1,227 students.
Currently, Wooster voters are being asked to approve a levy for the construction of a new middle school for 900 students at a cost of $67 million, just when declining birth rates are heading to empty classrooms and even school closures. According to the pro-levy website, the proposed middle school building is expected to last for 50 years, only 14 years longer than the 36-year bond issue that would fund its construction.
Other than Cornerstone, all the district schools were built in a fairly narrow timeframe: Parkview in 1956, Melrose in 1962, Edgewood in 1963 and Kean in 1966. All these buildings were found by the OFCC to be structurally sound and, given proper maintenance, can serve the district for many years to come.
Why are the proposed middle school and the high school expected to last for fewer years (50) than all the other facilities in the district, which have already served Wooster students for 59 or more years?
Basically, the reason is new buildings are seldom as durable as older buildings, which were constructed with superior materials and craftsmanship. Today’s buildings are built to code; the older buildings were built to last.
Linda Tonn
Wooster
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