On July 19, a public school tour schedule was posted for the new and “green” Charles H. Bullock school in Montclair. But as the date of the first tour arrived, July 27, the school was not ready for a visit. And in an announcement made by principal Barbara Elder Weller on July 30, the next schedule tour date on August 3 is canceled as well:
We still have no word from the building inspector about the C of O so next week’s tour and playdate are cancelled. I know that you must be wondering what is holding up final approval. It is small things – a wire covering over the Exit sign in the gym, for instance. But until everything is taken care of, the building inspector will not sign off on the permanent certificate.
Principal Weller continues her message focusing on the “green” and unique aspects of the new school. Things such as self-flushing toilets and a cafeteria that would make Mario Batali proud:
As frustrating as it is, we can all take some comfort in the fact that he is so conscientious and is looking out for the safety of everyone who occupies our beautiful new home. More green aspects: To conserve water, all of the toilets are self-flushing and the sink faucets are motion activated. We have planned lessons for the first week of school so children can both: work through their curiosity and not be fearful.
The cafeteria tables have arrived and are beautiful – round with integrated benches. Mario Batali would be comfortable in our new kitchen! (Wouldn’t that be a lovely asset?!) The plan is to have meals prepared on site.
Thanks to the herculean efforts of Mrs. McGrath, all 12,500+ books in our collection are wiped clean and shelved in our breathtaking new library. Soon, friends, soon…
Parents of children attending the Bullock school–are you nervous about the delays?
I’m nervous about the cost and how much this will add to our tax burden.
That’s a pretty crazy assault on The Montclair Times on the page for the new school:
The article about Bullock in the 7/22/10 Montclair Times contained substantial errors. Please rely on facts, not rumors, as we transition to our new home.
They don’t really get into details about what the errors are, exactly. I wonder if Ms. Weller was a little miffed at the M.E. Cohen cartoon poking fun of her daughter’s knitting-during-council-meeting habit.
For 37 million, Mario Batali should be cooking in the cafeteria.
Is there any point? High spend; mediocre results.
Please remember all this the next time “Elect the Board” shows its very overdue face. Don’t let the fear-mongers distract you from the real issue – poor performance rewarded handsomely.
Living in the area of the school,the contractor has totally disrupted the entire neighborhood,by shuting down major throughfare in the neighborhood without warning,making residents walk in the streets at night by closing off sidewalks,and this went on for over a year.
I see construction go on in Manhattan where buildings are 30-40 stories high and people are able to move about.
There was and still is a total disregard for the people here and the neighborhood that we live in.
The contractor knew what the area was like before they started the job.
Would these disruptions be allowed in “Upper Montclair”?And for as long as we have had to tolerate them?
I don’t think so.