THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1997, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Tuesday, January 21, 1997 TAG: 9701210199
SECTION: LOCAL PAGE: B6 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY JON GLASS, STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: NORFOLK LENGTH: 89 lines
On the morning of Dec. 12, many West Ghent residents received a jolt when they unfolded the local newspaper and saw the front-page banner headline: ``Report: Raze Taylor Elementary.'' It was like reading the obituary of a dear friend, one parent said later.
But there wasn't much time for mourning.
Barely a month after a consultant recommended demolishing the school and building a new one, some alarmed residents are scrambling to persuade the School Board to delay action.
The board could vote as early as Thursday on whether to raze the 1917 landmark or to renovate and expand the historical building.
A group of residents calling themselves the Friends of Taylor School has rallied in hopes of preserving the current school.
``It just seems to me that this came about very quickly; it's like it's on a steamroller,'' said Joanne Berkley, who attended Taylor in the 1940s and is an organizer of Friends of Taylor School. ``A lot of us weren't prepared mentally or in any other way for this.''
In hopes of avoiding an emotional battle, School Board Chairman Ulysses Turner said he may recommend Thursday that the board postpone action until next month.
``If we feel that the community is vastly divided, we may have to delay a decision for another 30 days while we work with the community to develop a solution that satisfies most people,'' Turner said.
A month's delay, Turner said, probably would not throw off a timetable that calls for work at Taylor to be completed by fall 1998, whether a new school is built or the old school is renovated.
At a public hearing last week, the school PTA's 18-member executive committee and teachers endorsed construction of a new school, saying that it would be more cost-efficient and serve students better. But no clear consensus emerged, as residents and parents lamented the thought of losing the school.
For some, the debate over Taylor has taken on a broader significance - the latest example, they say, of Norfolk's rich past being bulldozed by the city's efforts at urban renewal and development.
``We've torn down so much,'' Berkley said. ``Norfolk needs to preserve its past. Taylor has been a sentinel in West Ghent for so long, it's just a part of the community's fabric.''
Berkley said she and other residents would like a second professional opinion on whether construction of a new school is the best way to go.
Architects and a consultant hired by the School Board say the building can be renovated. But it would be costly and, compared with a new building, would require more maintenance, cost more to heat and cool, be less functional educationally and would not last as long.
The 80-year-old school has had extensive problems with leaking and termites, and access to the multi-level building virtually is impossible for disabled students. Only one of its classrooms meets current state requirements for space, the consultant, John W. Fowler, said.
Turner said the School Board had intended to renovate the building, but began to have second thoughts after Fowler and the architects began examining the building to define the scope of the work. The architectural firm hired, Tymoff and Moss Architects of Norfolk, developed eight ``schemes'' to renovate the building but concluded that a new school would be the most efficient solution.
The cost to build and equip a new school was estimated at $6.4 million; renovation was estimated at $4.8 million.
``After we saw all the numerous problems and costs, I didn't see that it was reasonable to renovate a school this old and expect it to last another 50 years,'' Fowler said last week.
There is a possibility for delay unrelated to some residents' opposition to tearing down Taylor. The board has only $2.25 million on hand for the Taylor project, well short of either renovation or new construction.
Turner said last week that school officials have requested about $11 million from the City Council to complete Taylor, renovate Bay View Elementary and build a new gym as part of the ongoing renovation at Granby High School.
City Councilman Randy Wright, who has worked closely with school officials on capital needs, said last week that the chance of the School Board getting all $11 million next fiscal year is ``slim and none.''
``I think we can do all three projects, but I think they'll have to be done over a two- to three-year period,'' Wright said.
He said he thought it would be ``real doable'' to complete the projects by fall 1999. ILLUSTRATION: Graphic
The Norfolk School Board on Thursday will discuss the future of
Taylor Elementary School and may vote on whether to renovate the
building or demolish it and build a new structure. Citizens wishing
to address the board should call 441-2237 to get on the agenda.
Thursday's meeting begins at noon in the 12th-floor board room of
the administration building on 800 E. City Hall Ave.
KEYWORDS: NORFOLK SCHOOLS TAYLOR ELEMENTARY SCHOOL