This drawing from 1935 at Capt'n Clint's Place shows that the school hasn't changed much.WILKES-BARRE – Plans to renovate Meyers High School should be scrapped, an architect told the Wilkes-Barre Area School Board Monday, throwing a likely knockout blow at efforts to preserve the venerable building...the building foundation has settled in spots up to four times more than expected, creating situations where the floors can drop by up to six inches from one side to the other.
The original plan to renovate the three city highs schools will have to be revamped. The fact that the school is not worth saving is going to upset a lot of people, including my Mom, who went there.
The idea of the neighborhood school died a long time ago and this is just another one that will go by the wayside. The recent Catholic school closings follow a long list of elementary/high schools closings. My academic career started at Courtright Ave grade school and when that building fell apart I went to the brand new Dan Flood Elementary School that opened in 1969. It was built on the Coughlin HS baseball field next to the Guthrie school football field which had been previously closed. We got a new new grade school but lost the baseball field where I learned to play the game. A bad trade in my opinion. In 1972 the state mandated a consolidation of school districts that got the number down to just 503. I don't know how many there were before that. I remember that the whole west side had to attend the Wyoming Valley West HS instead of schools in Luzerne, Kingston and other towns. Not counting how many grade schools were closed. So going off to 7th grade at the Plains Junior High School I had to take a bus for the first time in my life. Before that I always walked to school. Plains Jr. HS is now a IMU facility and most grade schools of my youth are closed. Enough reminiscing.
We are told that the best way to teach our kids is in small classes but the trend of the last few years has been to build mega-schools. Spending $35 million to renovate a high school that may drown doesn't make much sense and we will see what other problems the architects will find with GAR and Coughlin. Coughlin HS on N Washington St was designated a KOZ zone a few years ago so you know that they will find some fatal flaw in that campus and GAR is just in a bad place.
I think every candidate in the last School Board election ran on a promise to keep all 3 city high schools open. Frank Pizzella may restore some order to this group or he might just have everybodys legs broken.
nice closing comment considering da previous post. guess i-talians aren't safe from stereotypes in luzerne or lackawanna county
ReplyDeleteA few years ago Frank Pizella was convicted of hiring someone to break the legs of a political rival. He got probation. If you ever had to deal with him when he was a Plains Twp cop it didn't surprise you.
ReplyDeleteHe also held a gun to his x-wifes head and threatened to blow it off. This guy is a scum bag.
ReplyDeleteHe's looking for a cut of all those fat contracts comming our way. If you voted for this dick you deserve what you get.
The Voters should be aware that the people in Wilkes Barre School District should do a massive write in campaign to get these people off the School Board in November....Frank Sorick is the one that ran for School Board and was honest with the people of Wilkes Barre School District and got the lowest amount of the vote....Please ,....Voters of Wilkes Barre watch out for a hugh tax increase...do a write it campaign and elect Frank Sorick for School Board and remove these crooked politicians like Jim Fisher.
ReplyDeleteWOW! I can only say thank you for your continued support. I only got involved because I could not stand by and watch our children suffer because nine adults would rather sit in a room once a month and yell at each other then do what they know is in the best interest of our children, and taxpayers. I don’t know if it’s just me but what ever happened to honesty, and integrity. I hear it all the time from candidates but rarely see it in their actions.
ReplyDeleteIs this truly the example we want to set for our children?
Sincerely
Frank Sorick
That school is more than likely just fine. Why not hire a not so connected architectural firm from outside the area to check out the school. Odds are that this is just another scheme to ask the residents of the city to pay for something that will be used to attract new residents to the city. Since that would make the fifth or sixth concurrent multi-million dollar project on the residents backs, I will assume that the newcomers will be able to scoop up their new homes rather cheap, as many of them will very likely be sold at a sheriff's sale rather than through a realtor.
ReplyDeleteI agree with the write-in vote for Frank Sorick idea.
peace
Tim, I not quite following you here. My take is that there is more money to be made building a new school than fixing up an old one.
ReplyDeleteI graduated from Meyers in 1977 and live in Charlotte NC. What a shame on W-B to allow another historic building be destroyed by short sighted people with no respect for their own history. First the people of W-B allowed their government to let profiteers knock down the Planters Building and now a landmark school that defined South W-B.
ReplyDeletewhat else is new sam hyder graduated from meyers just look how crooked he is
ReplyDeleteseems like all the arabs are crooked from meyers pete achey a former prison gaurde bringing drugs into the prison now you have sam hyder anouther camel ryder ripping the people of wilkes barre off wake up people........
ReplyDeletei think sam hyder and greg big ugley are gay they both lost good looking wives whats up with that too much time in the gym together.......
ReplyDeleteWilkes-Barre high schools
ReplyDeleteMonday, March 17, 2008
Save our high schools
The current situation concerning the Wilkes-Barre city high schools, may also be a defining moment for the Wilkes-Barre neighborhoods. The idea of consolidating the city schools has been floated around for years, but in the near future it may happen. In my opinion this would be a major mistake and deal another blow to the already declining Wilkes-Barre neighborhoods. These schools provide each section which they serve with some sort of pride, and most people in these neighborhoods associate themselves in one way or another with these schools. We are very fortunate to still have this system, I would imagine that Wilkes-Barre Area must save a good sum of money just on the transportation of these students. I have no numbers to back that up but I would be curious to see what the difference would be if we had one central high school and had to bus almost everyone to this location. In short I can not imagine Wilkes-Barre with out the Grenadier, Crusader, or the Mohawk and neither can there neighborhoods......
Posted by wba10 at 4:52 AM 0 comments
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