2009-2-2 St. Aloysius School

St. Aloysius invests in good maintenance
Neither school has had major renovations,
For more than ten years, the Pottstown
but each has been extremely well maintained.
School Board has been grappling with the
Mechanical-electrical systems have been upfate of its five neighborhood elementary
schools.
graded as needed.
Several plans (costing from $39 to $53
In recent years, the parish has installed
high performance replacement windows in
million and since discarded) involved closing
both buildings. The windows in the
schools, adding to existing schools, or
1912 building are designed to match
building new ones. All called for mathe size and style of the original winjor “shut-it-and-gut-it” renovations.
dows.
Perhaps the school district can
learn something from the St. Aloysius
Unlike the Pottstown School District, the parish can’t just raise taxes
Parish, which boasts the oldest eleto cover increasing costs. It has to
mentary school in Pottstown —
a
spend wisely. St. Aloysius has found
lovely 1912 brick building on Hanover
energy-saving maintenance improveStreet which retains its original hisments like new windows to be a good
toric character.
investment.
The school enjoys bright, airy classA sensible maintenance plan,
rooms with big windows.
It
Commentary by
rather than major construction,
houses a kindergarten in the
will serve the Pottstown School
basement (which has windows)
Thomas Hylton
District equally well.
and grades 5 through 8 on the
This column expresses the
first and second floors. A secpersonal views of Tom Hylton and does not
ond building was constructed in 1961 behind
represent the views of any public or private
the church on Beech Street which houses the
organization with which he is affiliated.
library and grades 1 through 4.
Summary
The St. Aloysius
Elementary School
complex contains
two
classroom
buildings:
the
original school on
North
Hanover
Street,
built
in
1912, and a school
on Beech Street
built in 1961.
In recent years,
the parish has installed architecturally
compatible,
high performance
replacement windows
in
both
schools.
School officials say
the windows have
improved the appearance and comfort level of the
classrooms. They
also reduce energy
consumption.