Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: TUESDAY, March 19, 1991 TAG: 9103190311
SECTION: VIRGINIA PAGE: B1 EDITION: STATE
SOURCE: MARGARET CAMLIN CORRESPONDENT
DATELINE: LEXINGTON LENGTH: Medium
But Monday night the Rockbridge County School Board voted unanimously to stick with plans for a school with inoperable windows 5 feet from the floor.
"Isn't it amazing to see democracy in action?" Mary Anne Gilmore said sarcastically after the meeting. Gilmore was a leader in the campaign for windows at the high school that open and shut.
Fifteen people grilled the board and architects about their design plans, asking about indoor pollution, operating costs, and whether the heating and cooling system can be maintained properly after warranties expire.
"I'm sure you would not build a house sealed up like a drum," said Janice Gibson of the Walker's Creek District at the public meeting attended by about 85 people at Central Elementary School.
"We shouldn't forget - children are not like employees who can decide they don't want to work somewhere," said Gilmore. "Attendance is compulsory."
It would cost $60,000 to install two operable windows in each classroom at the high school, scheduled to open in the fall of '92.
Professors from Washington and Lee University's law school, commerce school and from Virginia Military Institute's chemistry department attested to frequent problems in their buildings' heating and cooling systems, similar to what is planned for the high school.
W&L law professor Mark Grunewald said he had to teach 80 of his students in a 100-degree classroom Monday morning. He said Lewis Hall's system often breaks down, but unfortunately the windows cannot be opened for fresh, cool air.
"People want to be able to see, they want the sense of fresh air," said John Gunn, a W&L economics professor.
Daniel Pharr, a VMI chemistry professor, said his science building's system breaks down about once a week. "We had all kinds of guarantees there wouldn't be any problem," he said of the building, which was completed just last year.
"There's no point" in speaking before the School Board, Pharr said after the meeting. If the board will not listen to the opinions of people who've worked inside buildings with systems like the high school's "then how are you going to listen to me when I come to talk to you about educating my kids?"
Board member Clinton Anderson said: "It's time for the board to stand up and listen" when distinguished professors urge them to change their design plans.
"But I'm not convinced that we're building a sick building," Anderson said. "If I had the slightest hint, I'd say it's time to go back to the design." Anderson made the motion to proceed as planned, and Keith Swisher seconded the motion.
Principal architect Bill Bowling of Hayes Seay Mattern and Mattern of Roanoke said windows start 5 feet high "to provide a uniform distribution of light across the classroom" and to leave more space for desks and shelves.
If operable windows were installed they should be opened only in emergencies, Bowling said. Otherwise, the fresh air would disrupt the balance of the building's heating and cooling system.
The architects have not calculated operating costs for the building. Warranties for parts of the heating and cooling system run from one to five years.
The board has included in its 1991-92 budget the salary for a full-time employee to operate the building.
by CNB