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September 23, 2007 A Letter from Pete Leki about the fieldhouse, ecology program, and community space.
Community Meeting: Please join us at the fieldhouse at 7pm Monday night. Sunnyside and Campbell. Dear Friends, I think you all know about the meeting Monday. I spoke to the Alderman the other day, to let him know the depth of concern about any plan to demolish the Fieldhouse. He assured me that he would push for a full, open public process for the school improvments and that nothing was set in stone. He expects Mondays meeting to be a very warm, cordial, hopeful and exciting one. Although you have probably heard from me enough about the Fieldhouse, I wanted to sketch out some points that I hope are made and heard on Monday. 1. Whatever the physical defects of the FH, it has worked for the past 15 years as an integral part of the school vision and philosophy: to invite the fullest posible exchange between the school and the community. It has been a welcoming clubhouse and a vibrant workshop for exploring the educational philosophy of our school as outlined in our School Improvement Plan. 2. Structurally, the Fieldhouse has not changed in the past 20 years. It may have defects, but nothing that couldn't be fixed. The entire roof, for example could be replaced to better accomodate PV panels and solar hot water heaters. We have had engineers and architects look at the building, comment wryly on its shortcomings, and suggest matter of factly the renovations they thought were needed. 3. The fieldhouse has an intrinsic value that is invisible to engineers coming from the outside. It houses many community memories. A community that loses its memory of itself becomes impoverished. 4. Our school is trying hard to "walk the talk" of resource conservation. The FH, for all its faults, is a standing, functional building. Replacing the building would mean a total loss of all the material funtionality of this well used building. 5. If our school community were convinced that the time was at hand to replace the FH, we must take the opportunity to build, in its place, a new building as welcoming, usable, and beautiful as the existing one. AND, one that is entirely energy self sufficient, possibly even treating its own waste waters. Such a building could resume its functions as an art and music studio, ecology center, garden kitchen and general community gathering space. 6. Our school could set the standard for putting in the infrastructure for future greening projects, such as underground piping for future solar powered lighting poles, geothermal wells, a cistern to collect the rainwater off the roof of the building, etc. 7. Our school could break new ground in using local expertise and human resources as part of a school / city capital project. For example, we have neighbors and parents at the school who install geothermal heating systems, solar hot water systems, PV arrays, ironworkers who could re-do the entire perimeter fence in a distinctive and symbolic manner, roofers and carpenters. 8.Our students should somehow be involved in a design charette to develop the plans for the renovations. It could be a very useful and powerful experience for them. 9.Let us not spend more than we have to. Let us invest in energy and resource conservation, in organic food production, in beauty. Let our school be a place of enchantment for our students, their families and our neighbors... and for birds, butterflies and other visitors. Good luck to us all,
From Julie:
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