Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: WEDNESDAY, April 13, 1994 TAG: 9404130130
SECTION: VIRGINIA PAGE: C-1 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: By JOEL TURNER STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: LENGTH: Medium
The Salem School Board voted Tuesday night to renovate and expand the 54-year-old school, which was Roanoke County's black high school before integration.
The decision brought applause from Douglas Dowe and more than 50 black residents who had urged the board to renovate the school rather than build a new one.
``I am pleased. We had hoped it would be saved, but weren't sure,'' said Dowe, president of the Carver Reunion Association and a graduate of the school.
At a public hearing last week, Dowe spoke emotionally about what the school meant to him.
Superintendent Wayne Tripp recommended that the building be renovated, citing its historic significance, among other reasons.
``It is important for a community to help preserve its history,'' Tripp said. ``History has a powerful influence.'' But he said there were other reasons for his recommendation, including Carver's convenient location near the center of the city.
Tripp said there were no other viable sites for a new school in Carver's attendance area. He also was worried that the neighborhood might deteriorate if the school at Fourth and Broad streets were closed.
Architects said the cost of renovating Carver would be about the same as the cost of building a new school - $5.5 million.
Tripp said the architects are confident that the school can be renovated to be a first-class facility that can accommodate 600 children. Nearly 400 are enrolled there now, and school officials expect growth in the Carver attendance area.
During the renovation, Tripp said, students, teachers and parents will have to be patient, because the construction will require changes in their routines.
He said the cafeteria will have to be closed, and lunches will have to be prepared off site and brought to the school. Arrangements might be made for temporary classrooms for some students, possibly using space at Andrew Lewis Middle School.
Architects have assured school officials that Carver can be renovated without endangering the children.
``But it is going to require flexibility and understanding,'' Tripp said.
The project will take between 18 months and two years to complete, depending on the arrangements for using the building while it is being renovated.
The timing will depend partly on when Salem City Council sells bonds to pay for the renovation, Tripp said. Council plans to sell them this fall.
by CNB