| 06/27/2007 | | Engineering study deals blow to South Park school | | 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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