Meme Thread... no politics

In reply to Floating Doc (Forum Supporter) :

Love me some Norman Rockwell.

Kreb (Forum Supporter) said:

Appleseed said:

In reply to GCrites :

Or our schools were pushing a hundred, complete with lead paint and asbestos ceiling tiles.

Our high-school band room had a big skylight and lots of acoustic tiles. You could sit there and watch the fibers from the ceiling tiles float around. Turned out they had loads of asbestos in them. Remarkably our school was a breeding ground for a bunch of pro jazz musicians. Go figure.

My high school was condemned because of asbestos a couple years after I graduated.

I was the only member of my family to graduate from that school. My dad dropped out.

I couldn't figure out why one of my teachers seemed to hate me for no good reason. Then I was looking at the pictures in the hallway one day and discovered that he and my father went to school together. I never found out any more information but based on my dad, I think I knew why that teacher was such a jerk.

ShawnG said:

Kreb (Forum Supporter) said:

Appleseed said:

In reply to GCrites :

Or our schools were pushing a hundred, complete with lead paint and asbestos ceiling tiles.

Our high-school band room had a big skylight and lots of acoustic tiles. You could sit there and watch the fibers from the ceiling tiles float around. Turned out they had loads of asbestos in them. Remarkably our school was a breeding ground for a bunch of pro jazz musicians. Go figure.

My high school was condemned because of asbestos a couple years after I graduated.

I was the only member of my family to graduate from that school. My dad dropped out.

I couldn't figure out why one of my teachers seemed to hate me for no good reason. Then I was looking at the pictures in the hallway one day and discovered that he and my father went to school together. I never found out any more information but based on my dad, I think I knew why that teacher was such a jerk.

Pretty sure I was exposed to asbestos that was falling off the pipe insulation in our WPA-built junior high.  There was even one pipe in the gym kids would intentionally punch in order to see the dust fly off it.  Thankfully, the high school was new enough for that not to be a problem, and it was also air conditioned.

I am trying to wrap my head around how big a school has to be that it is worth $85 million to refurbish versus building a new one.

eastsideTim said:

ShawnG said:

Kreb (Forum Supporter) said:

Appleseed said:

In reply to GCrites :

Or our schools were pushing a hundred, complete with lead paint and asbestos ceiling tiles.

Our high-school band room had a big skylight and lots of acoustic tiles. You could sit there and watch the fibers from the ceiling tiles float around. Turned out they had loads of asbestos in them. Remarkably our school was a breeding ground for a bunch of pro jazz musicians. Go figure.

My high school was condemned because of asbestos a couple years after I graduated.

I was the only member of my family to graduate from that school. My dad dropped out.

I couldn't figure out why one of my teachers seemed to hate me for no good reason. Then I was looking at the pictures in the hallway one day and discovered that he and my father went to school together. I never found out any more information but based on my dad, I think I knew why that teacher was such a jerk.

Pretty sure I was exposed to asbestos that was falling off the pipe insulation in our WPA-built junior high.  There was even one pipe in the gym kids would intentionally punch in order to see the dust fly off it.  Thankfully, the high school was new enough for that not to be a problem, and it was also air conditioned.

I am trying to wrap my head around how big a school has to be that it is worth $85 million to refurbish versus building a new one.

Not even necessarily the size anymore. Materials, "school safe" laborers if they're going to be around kids at all, and regulations have really jammed up pricing. 

There was a recent attempt to remodel my old high school, until the tax payers saw the $150+ million dollar estimate. Before all the tech they wanted was added in.

In reply to eastsideTim :

Depends on how hard it would be to source a very large parcel to build a new school on in the nearby area.  A new high school can easily take 20 acres or more, and that's not always available in the right spot.  Can't just tear the old school down and do without for 2-3 years while the new one is built. Depends on how historic or locally beloved it is, too.

Generally it's about like a bad car accident - if renovations would cost 60-70% of a new building, DOE recommends a new school if feasible.

Meme unrelated:

Duke said:

In reply to eastsideTim :

Depends on how hard it would be to source a very large parcel to build a new school on in the nearby area.  A new high school can easily take 20 acres or more, and that's not always available in the right spot.  Can't just tear the old school down and do without for 2-3 years while the new one is built. Depends on how historic or locally beloved it is, too.

Generally it's about like a bad car accident - if renovations would cost 60-70% of a new building, DOE recommends a new school if feasible.

Meme unrelated:

A few years ago in Severna Park Maryland the county built the new High School where the football field was.  And then built a new football field where the school used to be.  No problem.

In reply to eastsideTim :

We voted down a referendum six times for a $200 million cost for a new building/location.  I believe 2001-2006?  

Close by is an empty high school as the area expanded too fast and closed down one location.  Makes me nuts. 

BTW Lincoln Way HS marching band kicks ass at competitions.  7000 students?

Duke said:

In reply to eastsideTim :

Depends on how hard it would be to source a very large parcel to build a new school on in the nearby area.  A new high school can easily take 20 acres or more, and that's not always available in the right spot.  Can't just tear the old school down and do without for 2-3 years while the new one is built. Depends on how historic or locally beloved it is, too.

Generally it's about like a bad car accident - if renovations would cost 60-70% of a new building, DOE recommends a new school if feasible.

Then they do a study to determine the size of the school, spend a few years arguing about its design and architecture, spend a few more years appropriating funds for it, and a few more years building it. Ten years later you have a nice new school. Only it was designed for the population ten years ago.

They do the same thing when it comes to roads and bridges. 

In reply to Toyman! :

Not if everyone is doing their jobs, they don't.

In reply to Duke :

Nobody is doing their jobs in Canada then.

New Westminster is replacing an aging four lane bridge with a brand new four lane bridge.

Duke said:

In reply to Toyman! :

Not if everyone is doing their jobs, they don't.

 

In reply to ShawnG :

Where I live (liberal-land USA. There, I said it) Many of the people in power don't want what most of us would call intelligent planning. For instance - If you build an apartment building you have to provide one parking space for each apartment. Unless, that is, you want to pay the city $10,000/unit to not build parking and instead build more apartments. The idea is to force people into public transportation. Another one that drove me crazy is how they spent a few million dollars on things like adding air conditioning to my sons school. Then my son is telling me how it's hard to concentrate on classes because he's so hot. Turns out that the principal won't run the air conditioners because he doesn't have the budget to pay for the extra energy costs. 

johndej said:

Toyman! said:

Duke said:

In reply to eastsideTim :

Depends on how hard it would be to source a very large parcel to build a new school on in the nearby area.  A new high school can easily take 20 acres or more, and that's not always available in the right spot.  Can't just tear the old school down and do without for 2-3 years while the new one is built. Depends on how historic or locally beloved it is, too.

Generally it's about like a bad car accident - if renovations would cost 60-70% of a new building, DOE recommends a new school if feasible.

Then they do a study to determine the size of the school, spend a few years arguing about its design and architecture, spend a few more years appropriating funds for it, and a few more years building it. Ten years later you have a nice new school. Only it was designed for the population ten years ago.

They do the same thing when it comes to roads and bridges. 

Hamilton Southeastern is going through this right now. They even had parcels of land they had bought in appropriate locations before the area built up. They were prepared. Sorta. They opened the second high school and it was already at capacity. 

EDIT : realized I forgot the important part