Beautifying Boren: Volunteers finish painting, so one step’s left

After another work party this morning to finish a project started two months ago – protectively painting the backs and sides of mural panels destined for the exterior of shuttered Louisa May Boren Junior High School on Delridge – there’s nothing left to do but wait, according to community advocate Pete Spalding, who shared photos from this morning’s session.

Pete tells WSB, “Now we just have to wait for the school district’s maintenance folks to work it into their schedule to mount them on the building. We are hopeful that it will be soon.” Hopeful, because taggers keep vandalizing Boren – exactly what community leaders feared would happen after the school district decided last year to board up the building’s windows. Seattle Public Schools is holding onto Boren for possible “emergency use”; it hasn’t been officially occupied since Chief Sealth‘s two-year temporary stay concluded one year ago, but it’s widely considered a candidate to be pressed into service in some way as West Seattle deals with elementary-school overcrowding. Just two nights ago at the West Seattle Candidates’ Forum (WSB video coverage here), school-board president Steve Sundquist said he thinks the board eventually will vote to reopen two WS schools, with four-years-closed Fairmount Park Elementary likely to be one of them (as reported previously) – Boren is one of the three other possibilities.

4 Replies to "Beautifying Boren: Volunteers finish painting, so one step's left"

  • Brandon Node July 31, 2011 (1:23 pm)

    Thanks for your hard work in making the Boren School more pretty.

  • A July 31, 2011 (1:38 pm)

    Hate to be debbie downer but why waste your time and do all of this work when some little jerk is just going tag it all up??!

  • howie martin July 31, 2011 (1:39 pm)

    Some credit needs to go to Pete Spalding who, even though he was born in place far away from here, is pretty much responsible for getting us off the couch and into the community doing projects like this and many others, including supporting the West Seattle Food Bank.

    • WSB July 31, 2011 (2:12 pm)

      “Off the couch and into the community” should be Pete’s middle name. Or maybe since he’s fond of baseball-cap-style hats, he needs one with that embroidered onto it. Great line, Howie – thanks.

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