ROANOKE TIMES
Copyright (c) 1996, Roanoke Times
DATE: Sunday, December 1, 1996 TAG: 9612020084
SECTION: CURRENT PAGE: NRV-2 EDITION: NEW RIVER VALLEY
COLUMN: Guest Column
SOURCE: STEPHEN C. CHAPMAN
The Montgomery County School Board has correctly "drawn the line" when it comes to renovating the existing Blacksburg Middle School building while occupied.
The Board of Supervisors insists that any new school be built on the current site. Educators want a modern, well-programmed middle school. Parents are entitled to have their children educated in a clean, safe environment.
Conflicting goals? Absolutely not! All of these agendas can be addressed simultaneously if we take off our "political armor" and put on our "thinking caps."
Here's one innovative solution to the middle-school construction dilemma, devoid of political overtones and power struggles. Perhaps it will stimulate additional ideas from others in the community.
First, move all of the mobile classrooms to the front lawn west of the school, staging construction in the north recreation field.
Second, demolish the East Wing to make room for the new section of the school. Provide additional mobile classrooms as necessary to accommodate the students housed in the East Wing.
Next, build a new and separate addition to the school, complete with cafeteria, "high-tech" facilities, modern laboratories and shops, and open classroom space, approximately 50 feet east of the existing building, connecting the ground levels of the existing building and the new addition with an enclosed atrium "commons." Make the new addition a "model" middle school facility, large enough to accommodate all of the existing student body, albeit temporarily, in "special purpose" space.
After completing this addition, move the entire student body into the new construction. Renovate the existing building by structurally spanning the existing roof, providing a platform for new air handling equipment, etc. Then, renovate the entire interior of the existing building, replacing outdated plumbing, removing asbestos, and installing much-needed air-conditioning ductwork. When the renovation is complete, move the students back into the reconfigured classroom space and reclaim the special purpose space for its intended use.
Such an approach is logistically feasible and minimizes the overall impact on both the students and the community, and addresses many, if not most, of the concerns expressed by those who oppose renovating the existing building.
In the final analysis, it also accomplishes the desired result without requiring the relocation of Bill Brown Stadium.
Stephen C. Chapman of Blacksburg is a project engineer at Virginia Tech and has worked on the renovation of the Squires Student Center and construction of the new engineering building.
LENGTH: Medium: 55 linesby CNB