Letter: Better to start from scratch with Desert Hills Middle School building
In response to a recent letter to the editor about the old Desert Hills Middle School building — the 40-year-old building may look fine from the outside. Here is a short list of why it is better to start from a new building:
1. The building isn’t compliant with the Americans with Disabilities Act. The moment they start making changes to the building they have to bring that up to code.
2. The electrical is subpar for today’s needs. In the commons area a single item plugged into an outlet would trip the circuit, cutting power to the milk cooler.
3. Flooding was a common issue. On the last day that Chinook was in the building, the library had a flood that encompassed two-thirds of the library. There are outlets in the floor of the library.
4. The showers in the gym didn’t work.
5. The large trees outside the buildings are heaving the foundation.
6. Safety for the students was harder to maintain due to the different buildings.
The plan for redoing the gym and making it a new home for a program currently in portables is a good choice. Constructing a new dual language elementary is the best idea. Safety, comfort, students!
Angie Schwartz, Kennewick
This story was originally published February 21, 2017 at 4:02 AM with the headline "Letter: Better to start from scratch with Desert Hills Middle School building."