Good Morning Southeast
Texas on ABC KBMT 12 News (5:30-7:00am, Thursday, March 1, 2007)
6:32am - announcement Tracy Kennick: Coming up in the next 30
minutes... BISD wants to shut down the old South Park High School in their
new bond issue plans. But there's a group fighting back. We'll have the
latest from them.
6:39am - announcement Tracy Kennick: Still
to come, we'll visit with some BISD patrons who are not too happy about
the possible closure of South Park Middle School, part of the new bond
issue plans.
6:45am - begin segment
Tracy Kennick: Part of
Beaumont history is slated for destruction. It's the old South Park High
School. This Saturday, there will be a BISD community advisory bond
committee meeting to discuss tearing down the building, and that's
something that's not sitting well with everyone. Joining me this morning,
Paula O'Neal, as well as Miriam Cade Nichols. Thanks for joining us,
ladies. So talk a little bit about this. Why is it important to save South
Park Middle School, which is now a middle school?
Miriam Cade
Nichols: South Park has always been home for a lot of Greenies, and the
school itself was there from 1915 to 1986, and we're just a big community
that has stayed together all these years, and we want to keep it that way.
South Park is important --
Paula Tate O'Neal: Tracy, I think what
she's trying to say is, South Park High School was the center of the South
Park community. Back in our day, it was family, faith, and school. And
those of us who graduated from there, and it was such an important part of
our lives, would just like the opportunity to visit with BISD, and see if
there's the possibility of saving it. As a taxpayer, I want them to be
responsible with my tax dollars. But we just feel like there has got to be
some way to salvage the building that has such a history, not just for
South Park, but for Southeast Texas as well.
Tracy Kennick: Why is
this part of their proposal? Do you know, Paula? Why are they --
Paula Tate O'Neal: Well, I'm not that well-versed on it, but I
think right now they're trying to get the most bang for the buck and
trying to keep everybody happy, and we understand that and appreciate
that, but --
Tracy Kennick: So what are their plans to do with it?
Paula Tate O'Neal: I think their plans right now are, I mean, I
think it is still up in the air, and that is why we are meeting as well
Saturday, to come up with some ideas, and to make a proposal that possibly
they'll let us visit with them to see if there is any way to save the
building. But as I understand it, there is the possibility of tearing it
down and building a new facility on that site.
Tracy Kennick: And
that is something that some parents may say, hey, these are old buildings,
we need some better facilities for our students. What do you say to them,
Miriam?
Miriam Cade Nichols: Tracy, as long as South Park has been
there, there's thousands and thousands of kids who've gone through there.
South Park is still a good school. They need to -- the roof, I know, needs
to be fixed.
Tracy Kennick: So you'd rather see them do some
repairs, rather than tear it down altogether.
Miriam Cade Nichols:
Right. I mean, from 1915 to 1986, there's a lot of history there. I've got
petitions already signed, by not only Greenies, but people that are
concerned about tearing it down. They don't want it, and we don't want it.
We're not going to let -- we're going to fight for it.
Paula Tate
O'Neal: I think there are a lot of people that are interested in
preserving history, and that's what we're interested in seeing, if it's a
possibility.
Tracy Kennick: Again, that meeting coming up on
Saturday at 2:00, for anybody wanting to turn out at St. Paul's Methodist
Church in Beaumont, if you're interested in saving South Park Middle
School, which was once the high school for many, many Greenies here in
Southeast Texas. Thank you both for joining us, ladies.
Paula Tate
O'Neal: Thank you.
6:48am - end segment
6:59am - item of
interest Tracy Kennick: What's coming up tomorrow on Good Morning
Southeast Texas? We'll tell you about BISD's debate as it continues
tonight, at the special school bond meeting with their advisory committee.
We'll visit with a committee member, Mark Viator, about what's
ahead. |