The Delmar Baptist school building has been rejected as a possible site for a new Hamilton School branch because of allegedly expensive remodeling the building would require.
Mrs. Chris Wright, a member of a citizens’ group which proposed Delmar Baptist as a school site, said she was informed in May that a Board of Education engineer had said the building would require $50,000 worth of work to make it acceptable. This would go for new fire doors throughout the building.
Robert Brasfield , supervisor of the Enright District, made the claim, according to Mrs. Wright. She said her group currently has no other building under consideration as an alternative site.
The citizens’ group is seeking an interview with Ernest Jones, acting superintendant of schools, to discuss Hamilton School problems. For some time, area residents have been advocating a Hamilton branch near the western end of the district, to help alleviate overcrowding at the main school building. All such proposals to school authorities have been rejected.
Mrs. Wright said Mr. Brasfield had attended a meeting with some Hamilton School mothers several weeks ago, at which the mothers complained to him about conditions at Hamilton. “At least he can’t say we are making up these complaints, Mrs. Wright said.
According to Mrs. Wright even the bussing of children out of the district is becoming a problem, because the closing of various parochial schools is producing overcrowding in public schools which previously had extra room.
Mr. Brasfield told the citizens’ group that the Board of Education had tried unsuccessfully to buy the old Bettendorf-Rapp supermarket building at DeBaliviere and Kingsbury to use as a school. The building remains vacant. He also said there was no hope of constructing a new branch school building given the present state of school finances.
Originally published in The Paper, August 1971.
Read this article in the original newspaper issue.
Original source: SD_Times1971_08.pdf, printed page 6.
