Gossips did not go on the tour of John L. Edwards yesterday with Hudson Development Corporation, but Rich Volo did. He reports about it, with lots of pictures, on Trixie's List: "John L. Edwards Elementary School." It's pretty stunning how much stuff, paid for by district taxpayers, has been left in the building.
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| Photo: Trixie's List |
As Gossips has reported, Hudson Development Corporation (HDC) is pursuing the idea of acquiring the building and repurposing it as a work force/job training facility. Meanwhile, Mayor Kamal Johnson, who is an ex officio member of the HDC board, is expressing his opinion that the building should be redeveloped as housing. In an article that appeared in the Register-Star on August 12, Johnson is quoted as saying, regarding properties he would like to see converted to housing, "The two that come to mind right away would be the John Edwards School on State Street and the St. Mary's old school on Allen Street. Nothing is happening in the John Edwards School. The district has it on the market for sale, though it would need rezoning. St. Mary's hosts voting headquarters, and there's some programming that happens there every now and then, but basically it's vacant." The former St. Mary's Academy building is owned by St. Mary's Church, and there is no indication that the church is ready to part with it.
According to the article, Johnson also has his eye on the former Charles Williams School, now the location of Second Ward Foundation, as potential housing. He seems not to recall, or perhaps he never knew, that from 2003 to 2011 the City of Hudson owned that building.
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HDC's idea of turning John L. into a workforce training facility is a good one and, I think, much needed. So many young people either don't graduate from HS or graduate and don't go to college and do so without any life skills they can apply to a job. They end up going down the wrong path. You would think that Kamal would recognize this and support an effort to help these folks, and tons of others in the area, to learn a trade and better themselves. There's enough housing being proposed already. Personally, I say bravo to HDC for coming up with such a much needed idea.
ReplyDeleteRich Volo should get some kind of award for his reporting skills. He is amazing. Both Charles Williams and Dr. JLE were all about giving back to society, 24/7, through EDUCATION. Seems like any effort to appropriate these historic buildings should honor that. Almost any kind of education. Perhaps a post COVID learning center for those who want to spread their wings, catch up, brush up and get on with a productive life. Williams taught nearly 1,000 poor kids in his career before he died suddenly in his 50s. John L was a big hero and idol in town....mostly because he chased poor sick kids to get them well, night and day, so they could learn. What a great thing it would be if our two schools could still be teaching and learning centers, made modern and appropriate for a difficult reboot of learning. You will meet both men one day. What story will you be able to tell them?
ReplyDeleteAll false, I was asked if any abandon facilities in the city could be turned into housing. I said JLE and St. Mary's old school come to mind. I don't have any plans for those properties. I was just asked a 2 minute question. I also don't have my eye on Charles Williams at all.
ReplyDeleteKen Sheffer is on the right track vis a vis educational opportunities in the building. In my last months on the BOE in 2012 I was talking to several city officials about "giving" JLE to the city. The reasoning was simple: JLE is owned by one public entity and could/should be transferred to another public entity for nothing (something close to it). We're pretty much the same "public." Why do we have to pay again? (Shall we talk about paying Galloway $2 million in public funds for holding on to a public building for a couple years?) We have some bright financial minds in Hudson; let them consider helping taxpayers (the public) for a change. --peter meyer
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