Somerville working to rid Edgerly School of asbestos before school begins for Winter Hill students
SOMERVILLE - The outside of the Edgerly looked more like a hazmat scene than a school Thursday afternoon. Restoration crews have worked for weeks to rid the school of asbestos and get its classrooms ready for students. The first day of classes are scheduled to being in less than two weeks.
Students from the Winter Hill Community School are being moved there for the academic year, after a piece of concrete fell from the school's ceiling in June. No one was hurt, but the city closed the school out of an abundance of caution.
"I kind of just want to go to the same school," said rising fourth grader Conrad Cruikshank Higgins. "I really liked the old school we were going to, but I felt like it would be better and that's why I want them to rebuild it because it closed down because some of the ceiling fell down."
Conrad is one of about 450 students from Winter Hill who will be placed in a different school. His mother said the lack of clarity and information has led to uncertainty on how to best prepare for the upcoming year. "I think ready and finished are different words," said Cassandra Cruikshank. "I believe that there will be space for us. I do not necessarily believe that there will be no construction going on."
Cruikshank is a member of the Winter Hill PTA. A group of members said they were invited to meet with Somerville Mayor Katjana Ballantyne on Thursday. Those parents said Ballantyne assured them the Edgerly would be ready for the first day of school on August 30.
"I mean there are so many uncertainties and no clear answer," said Winter Hill PTA President Uma Murugan. "I think the mayor insisted that the Edgerly will be open on the 30th. It's hard to go to the Edgerly and see the state in which it is in now and still believe that it will be ready."
Ballantyne was reluctant to answer questions from WBZ TV on this topic following the meeting with PTA members. When asked whether she believed the Edgerly would be ready for students on August 30th she replied, "We're working as quickly and as hard as possible to make sure there is a safe location for our Winter Hill community at the Edgerly."