Money better spent on education

Re: “Latest options don’t include demolishing Victoria High,” May 29.

I have lived in Victoria since the late 1970s, residing in the Fernwood area for the past 36 years. Both my children went to Vic High and I have enjoyed the presence of that stately building and its grounds in the neighborhood. Through a friend of mine who taught at the school, I have learned of the historical significance that the school has had for Victoria.

However, when it comes to comparing the cost of preserving an aging building’s facade (a structural symbol) with a new building that will house 150 more students, there is no debate. Spending an extra $40 million to keep the shell of a building within a new interior is insane when money is tight and there is such a great need to invest in other aging educational infrastructure around the city.

I think a better solution would be to preserve the Grant Street entrance with its stately presence and build a new building.

A clever architect would be able to integrate the old and new styles. The symbolism of passing through a historic portal into a future-focused school is a fitting transition marking old and new.

I also think that extra money should be spent on a legacy room that would house artifacts, pictures and maybe the cornerstone of the original building. This would be a more meaningful way to to inform students, parents and staff of the significance of the site where they have come to learn and benefit from those that have gone before.

Lynn Cummings Victoria