Residents speak out against Oshkosh schools proposal to tear down 'historic' Merrill Middle School
OSHKOSH – Supporters of a group hoping to save a historic Oshkosh school spoke against a proposal by the Oshkosh Area School District to tear it down during a board meeting Wednesday.
"Historic buildings (like Merrill School) contributes to our pride of place," said Shirley Brabender Mattox, an organizer for the Save Merrill School drive.
Nearly 1,200 people have signed a petition against tearing down the school, she said, and continuing to replace old buildings would hurt Oshkosh as a community.
OASD Superintendent Bryan Davis presented a recommendation to the school board favoring removing the current Merrill Middle School building in order to provide adequate green space — including a full-size outdoor track — for the students at the new Vel Phillips Middle School.
In November 2020, voters approved a $107 million referendum. A bulk of that money will be used to build Vel Phillips Middle School, which is set for completion in fall 2023, and a new elementary school that is expected to be completed in fall 2024.
The referendum question posed to voters in 2020 to construct the new school just north of Merrill Middle School, 108 W. New York Ave., included a phrase about the "potential removal" of the current building, first built in 1901.
During a May 11 meeting, the district included a redevelopment plan of the current school that would include athletic facilities like a track, multiple basketball courts and an athletic field on top of the site of the current school.
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Davis and other district staff had discussions with concerned community members about the plans to tear down the current Merrill Middle School, but the district found a plan that included tearing the building down was the recommended option.
Davis said because more students will be at the new middle school, the district did not want to reduce the footprint of greenspace.
Half a dozen citizens spoke during the public comment section about the removal of the school, with only one person expressing support for tearing down the middle school.
Many spoke out against the proposal, and suggested a different plan.
Tim Hess, a developer and supporter of the Save Merrill School group, said their proposal would still give the school almost 3.4 acres of greenspace while saving the "historic" portions of the school — the initial building constructed in 1901 and an addition built in 1932.
Hess also argues leaving the land for an outdoor track would not make much sense because the students would only use it for just two months of the year when the weather is warm, especially since he thinks the new gym will be enough.
"The gym has been designed to be sufficient for seven months out of the year to handle all physical education and recreational activities for all the Vel Phillips School kids," Hess said.
While residents expressed concerns about the need to make a decision at the end of the month even though the new school would not be ready until fall 2023, acting school board president Barbara Herzog said it makes more sense to make a decision now instead of "dragging out" the process.
"It brings closure to the topic," Herzog said. "The administration, students and staff and community won't have uncertainty hanging over (the school)."
Board member Chris Wright said this decision will be hard and not have a "clear cut" outcome, acknowledging no matter the decision, there will be parts of the community that isn't pleased.
The board will vote on whether to tear down or preserve Merrill Middle School during its next regular meeting on Oct. 26.
Contact Bremen Keasey at 920-570-5614 or bkeasey@gannett.com. Follow him on Twitter at @Keasinho.
This article originally appeared on Oshkosh Northwestern: Oshkosh residents argue against tearing down Merrill Middle School
