posted by Mike Madison at 12:51 PM /
In response to my request for more information from the School Board candidates regarding their positions on athletic facilities renovations, candidate Mary D. Birks sent me a complete copy of her responses to the facilities questionnaire. Thanks, Mary!
Her responses follow:
1. What is your view of the current condition of the field house, track & field and stadium complex on the campus of Mt. Lebanon High School? I believe that the current state of our facilities is abysmal. I have visited many other facilities because of football, soccer and track and have come to realize that our facilities are old, seriously lacking and do not reflect the excellence we expect from our student athletes. (I was part of a team of parents who volunteered to paint the weight room last year and it was gross) There are safety, health and privacy issues that need addressing.
2. Do you believe that it is necessary to address significant upgrading of the outdoor athletic facilities as part of the proposed High School renovation project? Absolutely. They must be part of the overall and long term designs being discussed.
3. If so what is your specific plan (including order of priorities for such upgrades) and how much money do you believe the District should commit to this endeavor in Phase I as part of the overall High School renovation? This is a difficult one to answer, not knowing what the schematics include. I have heard board discussions about the pool being a non-negotiable, along with our gyms, locker rooms, etc. I would need to see more, and if anything is being left out of the overall plan, before I could give you priorities. I will say that any issues involving the health, safety and security of our students should be the top priority for renovation/construction.
4. Separate and apart from how much money the District “should” commit to this initiative, how much money do you believe the District “will” ultimately commit as part of the High School renovation project and at what stage (i.e., Phase I) will it be committed ? I am not in favor of a phased in project. But again, this is one of those questions I do not believe I can properly answer at this juncture. I have heard the $2 million figure being thrown about, but not in a clear cut way, and not with a definitive use attached to it. These decisions will be made by the sitting board, and if I am fortunate enough to be elected, I would be diligent in my oversight of any monies being used to upgrade the athletic facilities, fine arts facilities and the overall renovation project. I would also want the community’s input at all stages, and would expect this group to be visible and vocal at the meetings.
5. Would you support our group “bridging the gap” between the resources that “should” be dedicated to address this need and the resources that “will” be dedicated by the District to address the needs articulated by our group? Absolutely. I believe that any group willing to organize, put together a plan, present it to the board and open it up for public discussion should be seen as a resource for the Board and the community. We should encourage this type of citizen involvement and collaboration for the benefit of all students and residents.
6. Are you committed to prioritizing your specific plan while serving on the School Board and, if so, do you believe you are capable of building a consensus to support your plan on the Board? I have always believed that a plan must include plenty of input from our community members, so that the facility is seen as a resource for their use. I promise to listen to all sides of any issue, to educate myself on the pros and cons, and I believe I can help build consensus with my fellow board members for the best interest of our students and the community at large. I might not agree with everything, but there is always a starting point for discussion and compromise.
7. During the past 12 months, the School Board has referred to a two million dollar commitment of funds to upgrade the outdoor athletic facilities at the stadium/field house. At a minimum, will you vote to commit to advance funds from the capital improvement reserve of two million dollars in Phase I of the high school renovation project to address outdoor athletic facility upgrades at the stadium as part of our proposed joint private-public venture? If elected, I will be inheriting decisions already made by the sitting board. If this $2million figure is accurate, I would hope that the board would commit these funds so that the fundraising arm of this group can proceed with raising more capital for specific athletic facility improvements.
8. What is your position regarding either renovating or demolishing Building B of the High School? If you are in favor of renovating Building B, what was the basis for your decision both financially and politically? I do not base any decision on politics. (I am, after all, the un-endorsed Republican candidate.) Again, this decision will probably be made by the time of the election. I saw a lot of creative ideas when I was part of the Education Specification Committee, and learned a lot from the DeJong study. The overall plan has to make sense when/if utilizing this space and the price tag needs to be considered carefully. Will the resulting cost to renovate render appropriate, useable space? I do not know the answer to this without seeing schematics and the figures associated with those drawings.
9. Would you support financially a collaborative project with the municipality regarding immediately “turfing” the field at Mellon in preparation for the High School renovation project? In light of the fact that there is no money in this year’s budget to turf the high school field, I’m not optimistic that monies would be found to turf MMS field. But supporting a collaborative effort between the Board and the municipality? Absolutely. Long overdue. Same pants, different pockets.
10. Do you support re-turfing the high school stadium’s field this summer in preparation for Fall sports in 2009? Again, this decision has already been made by the sitting board. I happen to know that it was not on the Capital Improvement list, so that it will not happen. These types of items are usually brought forward by the director of facilities and/or the AD, and I didn’t see a request for upgrading the turf this year. As a private citizen, and the parent of student athletes, I know the turf is not in great shape and I do worry about the number of concussions which have occurred. New turf needs to be part of the complete plan for the stadium, field house and press box facilities. The time to address this issue next year (if not in the overall schematic), would be at December’s meetings so that it is on the radar for the Capital Improvements list presented to the Board in January/February.
(Also, remember that there is a School Board candidate forum next Monday, April 27th in the Jefferson Middle School Auditorium, from 7:30-9:00pm. Mary told me that she will make herself available after the event for further questions from residents, and I expect that other candidates will do the same.)
Her responses follow:
1. What is your view of the current condition of the field house, track & field and stadium complex on the campus of Mt. Lebanon High School? I believe that the current state of our facilities is abysmal. I have visited many other facilities because of football, soccer and track and have come to realize that our facilities are old, seriously lacking and do not reflect the excellence we expect from our student athletes. (I was part of a team of parents who volunteered to paint the weight room last year and it was gross) There are safety, health and privacy issues that need addressing.
2. Do you believe that it is necessary to address significant upgrading of the outdoor athletic facilities as part of the proposed High School renovation project? Absolutely. They must be part of the overall and long term designs being discussed.
3. If so what is your specific plan (including order of priorities for such upgrades) and how much money do you believe the District should commit to this endeavor in Phase I as part of the overall High School renovation? This is a difficult one to answer, not knowing what the schematics include. I have heard board discussions about the pool being a non-negotiable, along with our gyms, locker rooms, etc. I would need to see more, and if anything is being left out of the overall plan, before I could give you priorities. I will say that any issues involving the health, safety and security of our students should be the top priority for renovation/construction.
4. Separate and apart from how much money the District “should” commit to this initiative, how much money do you believe the District “will” ultimately commit as part of the High School renovation project and at what stage (i.e., Phase I) will it be committed ? I am not in favor of a phased in project. But again, this is one of those questions I do not believe I can properly answer at this juncture. I have heard the $2 million figure being thrown about, but not in a clear cut way, and not with a definitive use attached to it. These decisions will be made by the sitting board, and if I am fortunate enough to be elected, I would be diligent in my oversight of any monies being used to upgrade the athletic facilities, fine arts facilities and the overall renovation project. I would also want the community’s input at all stages, and would expect this group to be visible and vocal at the meetings.
5. Would you support our group “bridging the gap” between the resources that “should” be dedicated to address this need and the resources that “will” be dedicated by the District to address the needs articulated by our group? Absolutely. I believe that any group willing to organize, put together a plan, present it to the board and open it up for public discussion should be seen as a resource for the Board and the community. We should encourage this type of citizen involvement and collaboration for the benefit of all students and residents.
6. Are you committed to prioritizing your specific plan while serving on the School Board and, if so, do you believe you are capable of building a consensus to support your plan on the Board? I have always believed that a plan must include plenty of input from our community members, so that the facility is seen as a resource for their use. I promise to listen to all sides of any issue, to educate myself on the pros and cons, and I believe I can help build consensus with my fellow board members for the best interest of our students and the community at large. I might not agree with everything, but there is always a starting point for discussion and compromise.
7. During the past 12 months, the School Board has referred to a two million dollar commitment of funds to upgrade the outdoor athletic facilities at the stadium/field house. At a minimum, will you vote to commit to advance funds from the capital improvement reserve of two million dollars in Phase I of the high school renovation project to address outdoor athletic facility upgrades at the stadium as part of our proposed joint private-public venture? If elected, I will be inheriting decisions already made by the sitting board. If this $2million figure is accurate, I would hope that the board would commit these funds so that the fundraising arm of this group can proceed with raising more capital for specific athletic facility improvements.
8. What is your position regarding either renovating or demolishing Building B of the High School? If you are in favor of renovating Building B, what was the basis for your decision both financially and politically? I do not base any decision on politics. (I am, after all, the un-endorsed Republican candidate.) Again, this decision will probably be made by the time of the election. I saw a lot of creative ideas when I was part of the Education Specification Committee, and learned a lot from the DeJong study. The overall plan has to make sense when/if utilizing this space and the price tag needs to be considered carefully. Will the resulting cost to renovate render appropriate, useable space? I do not know the answer to this without seeing schematics and the figures associated with those drawings.
9. Would you support financially a collaborative project with the municipality regarding immediately “turfing” the field at Mellon in preparation for the High School renovation project? In light of the fact that there is no money in this year’s budget to turf the high school field, I’m not optimistic that monies would be found to turf MMS field. But supporting a collaborative effort between the Board and the municipality? Absolutely. Long overdue. Same pants, different pockets.
10. Do you support re-turfing the high school stadium’s field this summer in preparation for Fall sports in 2009? Again, this decision has already been made by the sitting board. I happen to know that it was not on the Capital Improvement list, so that it will not happen. These types of items are usually brought forward by the director of facilities and/or the AD, and I didn’t see a request for upgrading the turf this year. As a private citizen, and the parent of student athletes, I know the turf is not in great shape and I do worry about the number of concussions which have occurred. New turf needs to be part of the complete plan for the stadium, field house and press box facilities. The time to address this issue next year (if not in the overall schematic), would be at December’s meetings so that it is on the radar for the Capital Improvements list presented to the Board in January/February.
(Also, remember that there is a School Board candidate forum next Monday, April 27th in the Jefferson Middle School Auditorium, from 7:30-9:00pm. Mary told me that she will make herself available after the event for further questions from residents, and I expect that other candidates will do the same.)
Labels: mt. lebanon school district; mt. lebanon school board; athletic facilities
1 Comments:
As a past president of PTA Council Mary D. Birks will be a member of the Board of the Mt. Lebanon Foundation for Education. Perhaps she can influence those board members to raise money to pay for athletic facilities.
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