Some Somerville students start new school year in building once treated for asbestos
SOMERVILLE - It was an uneasy return to school Wednesday for some parents in Somerville, as they dropped their kids off for the new year at a building that was recently treated for asbestos.
"I'm not happy at all about it," parent Chris Evans told WBZ-TV. "Not happy at all about it."
"It's been extremely anxious," said parent Laurie Foley.
Nearly 400 students from grades one through eight originally attended Winter Hill Community School until it was shut down last spring for safety issues after a piece of concrete fell from the ceiling. Their new school is the Edgerly Education Center. Less than two weeks ago, it looked like a hazmat scene with tarps and tape surrounding the building after asbestos was found in exterior window caulking.
"The building is safe, we would not have opened it up," said Somerville Mayor Katjana Ballantyne. "We're really excited to be here."
Despite Ballantyne's assurances Edgerly is safe, parent opinions were mixed.
"I don't trust what the city of Somerville's done with this school," said Evans. "It's just unacceptable in my eyes."
"I actually was displaced here when the new high school was built, so I had a classroom here," said Foley. "And what they've done in the short period of time to get the school, I feel very confident that the school is safe. I'm actually really happy he's here and he gets to stay with his community because that's a huge thing."
As for the future of Winter Hill School, Ballantyne said they're still in the process of evaluating that.