Size Matters; CCSD Buildings' Longevity Questionable

Bill Lewis feels apologetic that CCSD didn't tear down North Charleston High School. As he says in Friday's P&C, "The reasons officials decided to renovate rather than rebuild were that constructing a new building would've cost twice as much and that the 26-year-old school still had a good shell." See Same Outside, Brand-new Inside.

I'm almost afraid to ask: are the new buildings constructed under Lewis's watch planned to last for more than 26 years?

Was this 1983 school building so poorly constructed inside that it needed to be gutted? I want the name of the builder, if so. Would you buy a house constructed in 1983 assuming it needed to be gutted? Is this all about technology that changes so fast that as soon as you build for it, it's out of date?

Finally, in 2035 will Lewis (or his replacement) be telling us that the new "Center for Arts and Academics" (i.e., the campus of the School of the Arts and Academic Magnet) needs to be gutted "but still has a good shell"?

NCHS did need improvements, security being paramount. And there is one great aspect to retaining those 26-year-old walls: the school will hold only 1000 students.

That's an optimal size for education, a big improvement over the monster-sized schools built elsewhere in the district.