A Proposal for Binford Middle School - Mayor Jones, Are You There?

I live literally around the corner from Binford Middle School in the City of Richmond.  Binford is located at 1700 Floyd Avenue, in the heart of the Fan, and is a beautiful historic property built in 1914.  It occupies the entire South side of that block of Floyd,and is surrounded by a large blacktop and surface parking.

Once upon a time,when Wilder had his "Cities of the Future" proposal, Binford was on a list of fifteen (15) City schools that were proposed to be sold as surplus property.  The general gist of the proposal, as I recall it, was that the City had more school facilities than it had need for, and the best approach was to close some schools, consolidate them with others, build certain new facilities, and sell other school property as surplus, to add to the City coffers.  Binford was on the list for closure.  Here's a blog post I wrote way back when wondering about the methodology for selecting the schools targeted for closure.

Well, I've heard some general rrumblings about the City selling surplus property, and I'm concerned about Binford.  Here's one of the reasons I'm concerned.  Over five years ago, the City in its infinite wisdom closed Robert E. Lee Elementary in the heart of the Museum District. At the time the argument was that Robert E. Lee Elementary was severely underutilized.  The property was sold to a developer, who converted the building to high-end apartments, now condominiums.

I mention Robert E. Lee Elementary because I believe the decision to close that school was short-sighted, at best.  Fast-forward 6+ years, and the Museum District could probably use its own elementary school.  Apparently no one on the School Board or in the School system counted on (i) the Fox School District reaching capacity, meaning it could no longer accept the large number of out-of-zone kids from the Museum District who had traditionally attended Fox as their public elementary school of choice; and (ii) the continued influx of young families into the area.  Were these "unpredictable" trends?  I don't believe so.  I just don't think anyone bothered to dig through the data and project forward.

So, here's my proposal for Binford Middle School. As additional support for the idea, I remind you, dear reader, that City is under court order to bring the public schools into Americans with Disabilities Act ("ADA") compliance, as a result of a lawsuit brought by a group of parents of disabled children, challenging the accessibility of many of the City schools.  Also, remember that many of the operating City school facilities were built in the 1910s-1920s, such as Binford (1914), William Fox Elementary (1911), Ginter Park Elementary (1915), and many others too numerous to name here. 

PROPOSAL TO RENOVATE BINFORD MIDDLE SCHOOL:

1. Transfer the property to a public/private entity, which will hold legal title to the school property;
2. Move the existing Binford students to Albert Hill Middle, located at Patterson and Nansemond in the Museum District, for the duration of the renovation;
3. Have the Principals of Hill and Binford, both of whom are doing an outstanding job, by all accounts, co-manage Albert Hill during the transition time;
4. Use state and federal historic tax credits to completely renovate the building.  This will return $.45 on every $1.00 of eligible renovation expense as a bottom-line tax credit;
5. Seek additional state and/or federal funding, if available;
6. Lease the property back to the City of Richmond Schools for the five (5) year time period required for the federal tax credits to fully vest.

At the end of the five (5) year period, the property would revert back to the City of Richmond.  The tax credits could be syndicated, effectively "sold" for $.70 or so on the dollar.  Hopefully, the construction time line, if properly managed, wouldn't require the students to be out of the building for more than one school year.  At the end of the day, students and their families would benefit from a fully-renovated, fully-ADA ccompliant neighborhood school, and the City could preserve some of its significant public architecture.  Local architects, designers, and contractors would be put to work.  If this project was successful, the City could use it as a model for renovating and restoring other schools.

I think it could work.  The neighborhood benefits, the City of Richmond benefits, the local economy benefits, and most importantly, the STUDENTS benefit.  Win-win all around.

I'm interested to hear from others what they think of the proposal.  But Mayor Jones, if you are listening - well, reading, I guess - please, please, please don't sell Binford Middle School.  The teachers, administration, parents, and ESPECIALLY the students deserve the best solution, not just the expedient one.

Comments

[Ruth Anne Young]

I appreciate your concern for Binford Middle School. However, I wonder if you have taken the time to visit Binford and Hill or talk with the administration or parents of either school about your concerns.

I do not believe there is capacity at Hill to hold Binford students, and I wonder why you believe there is. Also, are you aware, for example, that Binford has a working elevator, making it far more compliant than say, Fox Elementary? (That's not to say there aren't areas that could use renovation at Binford -- as with any old building, there are.)

I am an active parent at Binford and excited about the many wonderful things happening there. I am aware of no talk within RPS of closing Binford.

I encourage anyone interested in improving Binford to visit the pta website at www.binfordpta.org and to contact the school about getting involved. There are lots of ways to help.

Community and parent involvement are what make a school great and help its students achieve. By any measure, Binford has made tremendous progress in increasing both parent and community involvement so far this year.

If you wish to help Binford, contact the principal or the PTA. Join us! Anyone can join the PTA!

Ruth Anne

[Melissa Loughridge Savenko]

Anthony:

Thanks for the comment. I do think Binford and Hill are working REALLY hard to keep the neighborhood parents in the public schools as their kids transition to Middle School. I was very impressed by the Hill, Binford, and IB Program principals, who spoke to the parents of Fox 4th and 5th graders this past November/December. I'm not sure what the answer is, but I am pleased to see the action.

[anthony]

Melissa,

Elizabeth forwarded this proposal. I like it, and I am glad to see your support of Binford. I too have been thinking about how to "save" that school, but from more of a moral perspective. That is, getting parents in the Fan to stay vested in public schools and not assume that the school is an unsuitable option. More on this later.