Dear Editor:
I am very disturbed to hear this on-and-off talk of Demarest Middle School being closed down. (I won’t even get into my feelings about the possibility of tearing down this architectural gem)!
Do you mean to tell me that renovating/repairing Demarest and the high school would exceed $100 million? And how do you expect any parent to believe that the northwest region of town is a suitable location for a “campus” of middle and high school students? Everyone knows that up until now that location has been purely industrial. Why can’t the children stay where they’ve been all along — near a park that is filled with tremendous trees? Why can’t these new “community centers” be placed in the northwestern section of town instead? And why is that the children of Hoboken (and their parents, taxpayers of Hoboken) always have to bear the brunt of these dubious proposals?
I understand that it makes sense to have all the middle school children in one building, but why do the politicians come up with ideas that are complex and wasteful? Some of that money could be spent on guaranteeing that all children have access to the Internet and state-of-the-art computers (no, I don’t believe we’re there yet). Any left over funds could put the same type of computers in the community centers. How about more recreational facilities (still no community pool)? On numerous occasions I have heard my daughters’ friends complain that they love to play baseball but there’s no field available. How about a facility for the students after 3 p.m.? How about musical instruments and suitable facilities? How about restocking/upgrading the libraries (believe me, it’s time for that)? The list goes on and on.
There are a lot of issues that the politicians fail to mention when they talk of “rebuilding”. There are a lot of questions that need to be answered. And I have yet to meet one person who feels positive about any of the presented plans regarding the Demarest School.
Amy Valent