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Election Issues >> Hoover Politics >> Old Berry Middle School - whose is it?
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Message started by blast123 on 07/03/09 at 10:49am

Title: Old Berry Middle School - whose is it?
Post by blast123 on 07/03/09 at 10:49am

Is the old Berry Middle School property owned by the Hoover City Schools ( BOE ) or the Hver City Council?

Are the offices used by the school administrators or the Rec. Board of Hoover?

There's an asset that some government entity could gain some capital asset with proper management!!!!!

Title: Re: Old Berry Middle School - whose is it?
Post by ShadzMtnMom on 07/16/09 at 9:33pm

Hoover City Schools owns the property on Columbiana. Shades Mountain Elementary occupied it last year while much needed renovations were underway at our neighborhood school. Parks and Rec uses the school during the year (after school hours last year). It's a great building with a lot of history for our city....it should be utilized in some way that helps our school system or some school system.

Title: Re: Old Berry Middle School - whose is it?
Post by luvmybucs on 07/16/09 at 11:57pm

Its past time to put it back into use as a middle school. Rezone kids from HHS to SPHS, and from Gwin and Bumpus to old Berry Middle School. Its really getting old dealing with overcrowding at some schools while others are at far less than capacity. >:(

Title: Re: Old Berry Middle School - whose is it?
Post by blast123 on 07/17/09 at 4:18am

There's an asset that is under utilized. At one time SMI wanted to buy it. Vestavia's Board wanted to buy it.
Not to diminish your hopes of it being used for Hoover School System, but it is valued at between $9 to $12 million.

Hver Board of Ed needs to form a committee on what to do with it!

We need to hand that albatros on Mr. McBay neck.

Title: Re: Old Berry Middle School - whose is it?
Post by blast123 on 07/17/09 at 4:35am

the man' s name might be McBray. I don't know what he does exactly but hide around in the background building new schools. why don't the Board let him go?

I understand they provide him a vehicle and gas funds to drive to and from Remlap ( 16/24 miles one way).

We won't be building any more new schools soon. We have no reserves or surplus except for three months operational funds.

Oh! but wait, what about those 400 to 700 new homes being planned for the extension of Stadium Trace and Shelby Cty 52/ Morgan Rd.

Title: Re: Old Berry Middle School - whose is it?
Post by myway on 07/17/09 at 8:28am

We don't need to open up Berry Middle on the hill again. It will take substantial upgrades to get the old Berry into shape again as a middle school that is comparable to the other middle schools in our district. Lets not forget that there was a reason that we moved on from that building. Re zoning kids is a can of worms that I don't want to address.
We need a 3rd high school so we can use the Freshman center as a middle school (the original intention)

Title: Re: Old Berry Middle School - whose is it?
Post by slab on 07/17/09 at 8:51am

myway wrote:

Title: Re: Old Berry Middle School - whose is it?
Post by cartag on 07/18/09 at 12:39pm

slab wrote:

[quote author=myway link=1246636140/0#5 date=1247837286]We don't need to open up Berry Middle on the hill again. It will take substantial upgrades to get the old Berry into shape again as a middle school that is comparable to the other middle schools in our district. Lets not forget that there was a reason that we moved on from that building. Re zoning kids is a can of worms that I don't want to address.
We need a 3rd high school so we can use the Freshman center as a middle school (the original intention)

Its time for people to get over rezoning. Kids are a lot more resilient than we give them credit for. Sure we have all made investments of time and money in our neighborhood school but if tough times call for rezoning then we need to be about it. Attending the town hall rezoning meeting at Bumpus a year or so back you would have thought the end of the world was coming because the long term plan called for a move of some kids from one elementary school (DV) back to the elementary school they used to be zoned for (SSC). I don't see a second round for HS rezoning being nearly as contentious as was the first.

Old Berry could be brought up usable standards for a reasonable amount of investment. It was used as a high school for many years and as a middle school not that long ago. It may not end up being as nice as the new Berry but we won't have to spend an outrageous sum building a new school.
[/quote]
Slab, just wondering: Do you have children in school? Do you live in an area likely to be rezoned? If you attended a meeting at Bumpus and the fracas was about re-zoning from Deer Valley to South Shades Crest, I can see your point. That isn't that much of a big deal. I agree.

Truth is though, you're children won't be re-zoned to go to Spain Park High School. No wonder you think the people who live in the old neighborhoods in the center of Hoover should buckle under and have their children re-zoned to Spain Park.

But if you think re-zoning for high schools won't be nearly as contentious as it was the first time, watch out. It will be more contentious. There are better solutions than rezoning.

It really is a shame we have a school building that is not being utilized. Myway, I don't think the elementary schools are all "comparable." Why should middle schools be? Come to that, the high schools aren't comparable either. Spain Park is much bigger, fancier and newer and on a larger campus. I think Old Berry it would be a great location for an Arts and Sciences High School for students who want more challenges and college prep. Or the Baccalaureate program? They'd have to provide their own transportation.