TERRE HAUTE — A committee has begun reviewing several issues related to the future location of the Booker T. Washington High School alternative program.
At issue is whether the program remains where it is or moves to the Terre Haute South Vigo High School campus.
The program is at 1201 S. 13th St. in a building that dates back to 1914. The school serves pregnant and parenting students.
One charge of the committee is to determine the cost to bring the building into compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act as well as life safety issues, said committee chairman Mel Burks.
If the program were to remain there, the School Board wants to ensure the environment is a safe one for students, he said. But first, the committee and board need to know if the required renovations are economically feasible.
“What is practical and what is safe for the individuals in the building?” Burks said.
Steve Arnold, architect with MMS, will bring some ballpark estimates to the next committee at 6 p.m. Wednesday. He serves on the committee and will provide the estimate at no charge. He toured the building Friday.
A more detailed estimate of those costs would take several weeks, Arnold said.
One major concern is the location of the nursery in the lower level of the tri-level building, which does not meet current code, Arnold said.
The nursery is below ground level, and entrances for a nursery must be at ground level. Board member Jackie Lower asked if there would be ways to create entrances for the nursery that meet current code.
A facility feasibility study states that some of the systems in the building are unsatisfactory, including heating/ventilation/cooling; lighting; and ADA. Other systems, including plumbing and electrical, received a “poor” rating.
Franklin Fennell, director of facilities management, said that if HVAC is upgraded and an elevator added, an electrical upgrade would be required. That work would be expensive.
School Board member Joe Minnis said he would like a prioritized list of what needs to be done to make the building safe for students and in compliance with required codes and regulations.
Toward the end of the meeting, Washington High School graduate Pamela Gresham became concerned the discussion focused too much on dollars and cents issues.
“I’m a little upset that money is coming before education,” said Gresham, currently a teacher at Rio Grande Elementary. “Compromising on safety issues should never even be a question.”
She’s concerned that if students stay at the current location, their ability to attend certain colleges will be compromised because they could not earn a Core 40 diploma there. Washington doesn’t offer a few of the classes required for a Core 40 diploma.
“I appreciate the board’s responsibility with money and I wholeheartedly believe you’ll do what you know to be best … but we have to understand too that there are humans involved,” Gresham said. Her comments drew applause.
The committee has about a dozen members, but another 30 people squeezed into the administration building conference room.
Gresham, who is now working on a doctorate, said, “Without Washington, I would not be where I am.”
She believes the program would be best served with its own facility on the South campus.
Burks assured her that “no one is talking about getting rid of Washington.”
After the meeting, School Board member Jackie Lower echoed those comments. The program’s future is not in question, she said. “We want it to continue.”
The School Board is trying to determine “what is best for the student body,” Lower said. The board wants to ensure that whatever decision it makes, the program’s integrity is not adversely affected.
When the committee meets Wednesday, it also will examine other options if the School Board were to relocate the program to Terre Haute South. One option proposed is a separate building to house the program.
Another possible option is to build a separate nursery/day care at the South campus and have the pregnant and parenting students attend South.
Arnold said the some of the issues that must be addressed with the current building are the Americans with Disabilities Act and life safety issues that include the fire alarm system, electrical system and appropriate entrances for the nursery.
Burks emphasized the committee’s charge is not to “undo” recommendations from Schmidt Associates or the administration.
It is to determine costs to make the current building safe and compliant with ADA; to study some other facility issues there; and also to explore options if the program goes to the South campus. The School Board has had several questions and has not been able to arrive at a decision, based on the administration’s recommendation.
If the Washington High School committee makes a recommendation, Burks said he will present that to the School Board.
Wednesday’s committee meeting will be conducted at the administration building.
Sue Loughlin can be reached at (812) 231-4235 or sue.loughlin@tribstar.com.
Local & Bistate
Safety at issue in Washington school decision
- Local & Bistate
-
-
Montford Point Marine
In 1943, 19-year-old Ezell Odom was on the sandy beach of a tiny South Pacific island about 7,000 miles from his parent’s home in Terre Haute.
-
K-9 officer Shadow honored as a hero
A Terre Haute K-9 officer injured in the line of duty has been honored as a hero by the Indiana Veterinary Medical Association.
-
Freezin’ for a Reason
Hundreds lined up outside Hulman Center amid frigid air to participate in a warm-hearted cause.
-
Even as law, right-to-work dominates crackerbarrel
The flames of the right-to-work debate were gone, but the coals still seemed to smolder.
-
Vigo School Board to give OK on bonds for DeVaney project
The Vigo County School Board will meet at 6 p.m. Monday in the administration building, 686 Wabash Ave.
-
Bridging the gap to ‘forever’
They can be taken from their homes by strangers for reasons they may not understand, with no possessions other than the clothes they are wearing.
-
Students showcase keen problem-solving skills at Rose-Hulman
For the 16th straight year, Honey Creek Middle School students came out on top in the Wabash Valley MATHCOUNTS competition at Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology.
-
Ivy Tech to celebrate Black History Month
Ivy Tech Community College will celebrate Black History Month with a series of events at its campuses statewide.
-
Whitney Houston, superstar of records, films, dies
Whitney Houston, who ruled as pop music's queen until her majestic voice and regal image were ravaged by drug use, erratic behavior and a tumultuous marriage to singer Bobby Brown, has died. She was 48.
-
Giant welcome home for Steve
Terre Haute was suddenly home to thousands of cheering New York Giants fans Friday as residents welcomed Super Bowl champion Steve Weatherford back home for a parade.
-
‘One for Terre Haute,’ Steve tells crowd at North
“This one was for Terre Haute,” native son Steve Weatherford proclaimed Friday as he shared his Super Bowl victory with the community that helped send him on the path to a world championship.
-
Hometown support vital to success, Weatherford says
Steve Weatherford said Friday he wouldn’t be celebrating a Giants’ Super Bowl victory if not for the support he’s received from his hometown, his parents and mentors in his life.
-
Craning for a rare glimpse
A visitor from the Far East has naturalists flying to Linton, hoping some good comes from one bird’s bad directions.
-
Vigo’s primary election filings complete
The slate is set for the May 8 primary election, with the race for three at-large seats on the Vigo County Council drawing the largest pool of candidates at the county level.
-
Documentary on electric vehicles plays Sunday at Rose
The rising popularity of electric vehicles and their impact on the world eco-system is the focus of a documentary, “Revenge of the Electric Car,” being presented at 3 p.m. Sunday in Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology’s Hatfield Hall Theater.
-
Man gets 10-year sentence in battery case
A West Terre Haute man received a 10-year prison sentence Friday after pleading guilty to aggravated battery for beating a friend caught in bed with the man’s wife.
-
Asian hooded crane lands in Greene County wildlife area
Bird watchers are flocking to a southwestern Indiana wildlife area to try to catch a glimpse of a crane usually spotted only in Asia.
-
Slow drips: It’s maple syrup season in Indiana
More seasonal, colder temperatures will hit the Wabash Valley this weekend, which is ideal weather for maple syrup production, said Keith Ruble, superintendent of the Vigo County Parks and Recreation Department.
However, Ruble voices concern that this year’s maple syrup season may be short.
-
Downtown restaurant celebrates expansion
The streets of Terre Haute were chilly Thursday night, but for the glow of hot pasta inside Louise’s Pizzeria and Cafe.
-
Contract signed for new Y
Papers are signed and the ink is in place for a new YMCA to operate in Terre Haute.
-
City to impose $30 release fee on towed vehicles
The Terre Haute City Council voted without opposition Thursday to impose a new $30 release fee on vehicles towed and impounded by the police as part of a criminal investigation.
-
Valley educators cautious on Indiana’s ‘No Child’ waiver
Indiana is one of 10 states to receive a waiver from federal No Child Left Behind requirements.
-
Driver dies after Illinois school bus crash
“Brace yourself. Brace yourself,” Fay Pickering shouted to her students just before the school bus she was driving crossed U.S. 40 and landed in a ditch Thursday morning.
-
Trial date set for former WTH police chief
A July 23 trial date has been set for a former police chief of West Terre Haute accused of theft.
-
Motorcycle gang member pleads guilty in federal court
A member of an Indianapolis motorcycle gang who delivered methamphetamine to a Terre Haute dealer has pleaded guilty to drug charges in federal court.
-
July trial date set for mother charged with child neglect
A July 30 trial date has been set for a Terre Haute mother charged with neglecting and battering her toddler.
-
Business hosting SPPRAK fundraiser
Java Haute is hosting the latest fundraiser sponsored by SPPRAK — Special People Performing Random Acts of Kindness.
-
Valley high school cooking competition under way today
Clabber Girl Corp. and Gordon Food Services will host the fourth-annual High School Chef Competition, beginning today through Saturday, and again Feb. 18, in the Culinary Classroom at Clabber Girl.
- UPDATE: Marshall, Ill., school bus driver involved in accident dies; cause appears to be cardiac-related
-
Terre Haute road name game
What used to be called U.S. 40 from the Wabash River west through West Terre Haute to Interstate 70 needs to be renamed and, probably, get new street addresses, a Vigo County planner recommends.
- More Local & Bistate Headlines
-
Police: Houston Found Dead in Her Hotel Room
Recording Superstar Whitney Houston Dead at 48
Palin Brings Anti-Washington Message to CPAC
Maine GOP Chairman Says Romney Wins Caucuses
Fans 'Speechless' Over Houston's Death
Androgynous Model Walks Runway As Man and Woman
Raw Video: Deadly Blasts in Syria
Obama Scraps Birth Control Mandate
US Airmen's Killer Sentenced to Life in Germany
Latest Jason Wu Collection Shows Chinese Roots
ShowBiz Minute: Madonna, Beresford-Redman, Pawsc
Raw Video: Whitney Houston's Last Performance
Paul Suffers Narrow Loss to Romney in Maine
Stars Show Support at AMFAR Charity Gala
Snow Strands Italian Towns
Navy Names Ship for Gabrielle Giffords
Raw Video: Rough Seas Stop Oil Removal
The Muppets Are Oscars Bound!
Uzbek Man Pleads Guilty in Plot to Kill Obama
BCBG Kicks Off NY Fashion Week
Lusetich: AT&T Rd. 3 recap
Whitney Houston's body is removed from hotel
Raw Video: Aurora Borealis As Seen From Space
Whitney's Final Days - EXCLUSIVE
Romney Tops Santorum in CPAC Straw Poll
First glimpse of Blue Ivy Carter
Angry Dad Shoots Teens Laptop
Peek inside Barbie's closet
Absolute Lin-sanity
Madonna's Daughter Shaves Head
5 Killed in Wrong-way Crash on I-10 in La.
Test on Comforter in Powell Unit Shows Blood
Hero Driver Saves Kids From Burning Bus
Funeral to be held for Powell boys
Sandusky on having to stay inside and people turning on him
Woolly Mammoth Caught on Camera?
Did JLo 'Assault' Marc Anthony on Camera?
Christie Brinkley's Runway Slip
Toddler forced to run half-naked in snow
