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Tuesday, December 6, 2011

Report: Vacant Philly schools a hazard
The former Roberto Clemente Middle School is dangerous and should be demolished immediately, the City Controller found. (Photo: City Controller's Office)

Left to languish, some Philadelphia School District buildings have become dangerous neighborhood eyesores, a review of vacant school properties found.

In the review released this morning, City Controller Alan Butkovitz found that two schools are “drug havens” with “extremely unsanitary conditions,” including used syringes, needle caps, human waste and piles of garbage.  Drug parapharnelia was found at the Rudolph Walton School, 2601 N. 28th Street, and the Simon Muhr School, 12th and Allegheny.

Three schools have become “locations for crime” with robbery, theft, drug possession and assault occurring on site.

There were serious structural problems at three schools, including exposed rebar, broken and falling cement and cracks along brick walls.  Butkovitz recommended immediate demolition of one school - the former Roberto Clemente Middle School at 3921 N. 5th Street.

"These are all catastrophes waiting to happen," Butkovitz said at a news conference Thursday.

In the coming years, the district will have more vacant buildings to deal with, as the School Reform Commission plans to decide on school closings in the coming months.  Nine schools have been recommended for closure.

Thousands of buildings around the city are vacant, but Butkovitz said these schools deserve special attention because of their size and their former role as hubs in the community.

Butkovitz said he had not shared the report with the district.  A spokesman was not immediately available for comment.

View the report here.
Posted by Kristen Graham @ 11:31 AM  Permalink | 13 comments
Comments   
  • 0 like this / 0 don't   •   Posted 12:20 PM, 12/06/2011
    Where is PSD supposed to get money to demo the buildings from?
    — palvar
  • 0 like this / 0 don't   •   Posted 12:40 PM, 12/06/2011
    Personal loan from Arlene Ackerman.
    — elicash
  • 0 like this / 0 don't   •   Posted 2:52 PM, 12/06/2011
    The PSD is supposed to SELL the buildings, remember?

    They can't mothball these buildings until a potential political contributor comes along and wants to buy them. That's what they're doing. It should be illegal.
    — CleanupPhilly
  • 0 like this / 0 don't   •   Posted 1:07 PM, 12/06/2011
    TEAR THEM DOWN!!! DAMN THE COST, DO SOMETHING RIGHT FOR ONCE, BEFORE SOMEONE GET'S HURT OR KILLED ON THESE PROPERTIES!!!
    — Dadair1
  • 0 like this / 0 don't   •   Posted 2:54 PM, 12/06/2011
    Businesses want to buy these buildings. Buyers want to buy the vacant Pierce Middle School. But the PSD is dragging its feet.
    — CleanupPhilly
  • Comment removed.
  • 0 like this / 0 don't   •   Posted 2:01 PM, 12/06/2011
    @the headline Vacant Philly schools a hazard, i think the occupied philadelphia public schools are a bigger hazard
    — oliver north
  • 0 like this / 0 don't   •   Posted 2:52 PM, 12/06/2011
    Agree with Dadair ... they have to be taken down before someone gets maimed or killed there ... that lawsuit(s) would cost the city more than the demo would in the long run.
    — Kennedy
  • 0 like this / 0 don't   •   Posted 2:55 PM, 12/06/2011
    The PSD or city doesn't have to do the demo, they just have to sell the building and let the buyer do that. There are buyers for these buildings, but not ones that want to pay to play.
    — CleanupPhilly
  • 0 like this / 0 don't   •   Posted 7:44 PM, 12/06/2011
    Cleanup Philly knows something about owning slum buildings.
    — bushmciworlcomenron
  • 0 like this / 0 don't   •   Posted 2:58 PM, 12/06/2011
    Your government at work people - the city performed a study - probably by an outside third party - to inform them that abandon schools are a haven for druggies and are eyesores, drug infested, crumbling, and unsanitary. Who would have thunk it. Shocking news. hubs of the community? now that is funniest thing I have read today. I am sure the amount of truant kids in these schools outnumbered those in attendnace on a daily basis.......
    — reddog44
  • 0 like this / 0 don't   •   Posted 5:43 PM, 12/06/2011
    Guess Ackerman was too busy eating at five-star restaurants with her transitional consultant to get off her fat backside to get out and see the condition of these vacant schools. Ah, give her some more money. She deserves it.
    — Boru
  • 0 like this / 0 don't   •   Posted 9:43 PM, 12/06/2011
    Who is accountable for the vacant buildings? Who is liable? If these were properties owned by private individuals the city would be fining them and lawsuits would follow? Why the double standard? Philly Politics!
    — slugo


13 comments
About Kristen Graham
Kristen Graham has covered the Philadelphia School District since May 2008. A native Philadelphian – and a graduate of the district and Temple University – she has written about everything from crime and county government to education since joining the Inquirer in 2000. Kristen, who also spent time as an online producer at Philly.com, has won multiple journalism prizes and if asked politely will sing as much of “Hail Northeast,” her high school’s alma mater, as she remembers. She comes from a family of teachers and believes there is no more difficult or important job than that of an educator.

During the school year, you’ll find Kristen chatting live on Philly.com most Mondays at noon or 4 p.m. Please do pass along the scoop about what’s going on at your Philadelphia public school; Kristen welcomes tips, story ideas and witty banter at kgraham@phillynews.com or 215-854-5146.

You can also follow Kristen on Twitter here.

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