Asbestos in school worries town board
Toolbox
By Susan Smallheer STAFF WRITER - Published: September 15, 2009
SPRINGFIELD — Members of the Springfield Select Board said Monday they were wary of accepting the North School and its surrounding recreational lands out of concern for the asbestos at the school and other financial concerns.
Larry Kraft, chairman of the Springfield School Board, told the Select Board the school had received a legal opinion that stated the board could sell the North School and three other former schools, and the School Board intended to sell them.
Kraft informally offered the school and the land to the Select Board for $1, but even at that low price there were no takers.
If the town doesn't want it, Kraft said, the school district will sell it to a developer.
The Select Board said it was worried about the costs of maintaining the old school, which has been closed for about 20 years, and recent studies showed the site was laden with asbestos.
The board heard from North Springfield community member Jean Willard, who is a Select Board member and School Board member, who has long advocated the town taking over the school and the recreation lands.
Willard said there had been a long list of "broken promises," although she didn't say from whom, about maintaining the school for future community use.
The school and some adjoining land, which was given to the school by the Parker family many years ago, is the scene of a lot of townwide recreational activity, said Andy Bladyka, the town recreation director.
Bladyka invited the Select Board to come to the school fields Tuesday afternoon to see fifth- and sixth-grade boys and girls soccer games.
"The issue is the building," Bladyka told Willard. "Everyone understands the recreation space. What is going to become of that building?"
"We need to know it's not going to be sold out from under us," said Willard, adding that selling the land would contradict the intention of Carl Parker, who donated the recreation lands many years ago.
But Kraft said a legal opinion from Chris Callahan of Springfield gave the school district a clear go-ahead to sell not just North School, but East School, Park Street School and Southview School, which is used by the Springfield Community Theater. North School is used for storage, Kraft said, while East School is used for special education programs.
Park Street School, the town's original high school, is used as an elementary school, a practice that will end next year.
In addition to the soccer field, there is a town-maintained skating rink in the winter, along with a warming hut.
Willard said she wanted the school turned into a community center and the lands preserved for recreation for North Springfield children.
But Willard conceded that the asbestos, and the other costs of fixing and maintaining the building, would be a tall order, and she suggested the town or her community group seek state or federal grants for the asbestos removal.
The school and its land "sit in the middle of the village," she said, and any change would have a profound effect on the village.
susan.smallheer@rutlandherald.com
33