Alumni lead community petition to save Libbey
Written by Kristen Criswell | | krapin@toledofreepress.comA group of concerned Libbey High School alumni and community members will present the Toledo Public Schools Board of Education with petitions to save the school building from demolition.
The petitions ask the board that Libbey High School building be maintained to benefit the community.
“We’re looking for positive things to come from the whole property, looking beyond the idea of just a community center,” said Susan Terrill, Libbey Alumni Association member and Libbey advocate.
Terrill said the South End needs a central community building as the YMCA and now Libbey have been closed.
The petitions will be presented to the board Dec. 21. More than 700 signatures have been collected, Terrill said.
In addition to presenting the board with petitions, Libbey alumni and community members will meet Dec. 27 to discuss ideas to stop demolition of the Libbey building. The meeting is at 6:30 p.m. in the South Branch Library, 1736 Broadway.
Libbey could face demolition as early as February.
Previous coverage:
Libbey could meet wrecking ball in February
Yeah, turn it into some sort of Museum of Great Toledoans, since 1982…one tiny room will suffice !!
This comment was posted on December 21st, 2010 at 11:19 amGet over living in the past. Tear it down!
This comment was posted on December 21st, 2010 at 9:56 pmTo save the Libbey campus is not to be living in the past. It is to improve the living conditions of the residents and students living in the present and those whose futures are to have a chance at better lives.
Only the largest social crater will exist. Those who can remember the Paramount Theater have had to view only a large surface parking lot in its place for the last 50 odd years. Which commenced the subsequent evacuation of the downtown. People then folded there arms and said,”What a shame. Oh! well that’s progress.” Libbey likewise will never be replaced.
Those willing to go along with the eradication. I doubt have ever had to endure the obstacles, the difficulties, now faced by the students merely trying to get to class and to strive to be good citizens.
I believe that the Trail will be overloaded even more so by those not wishing to get to and from the downtown by way of Broadway due to the high crime and unsettling views that will prevail.
There have been two Bowsher High Schools in 45 years. Yet the Libbey High Building,given the adequate renovation that the management purposely neglected over the same period will have twice the life expectancy of even the new Bowsher and Start High Schools.
This comment was posted on December 22nd, 2010 at 12:36 amTPS should provide those interested in “mothballing” the complex with a annual line item cost for doing so.
The threat of tearing down Libbey is not a “new threat” it has been known for quite sometime.
The alumni should have been on top of this a long time ago.
This comment was posted on December 22nd, 2010 at 9:28 amNo one is living in the past here. I know that expectations can rise or drop according to the environment that you are a part of. There is something to say for people who have been worn down for a long time and things slowing spiraling downward:especially when others who want to try, want some relief, give up and move on out. Those left may not see the power that they have to turn it around at any point. Various groups have met on their own throughout the years enjoying their social functions but there has has never been an official Libbey Alumni Association until November 2009. Yes, just over a year in existence! It is through this organization that the Libbey legacy will be entrusted. But I do not see this as an alumni issue…policies were in place that caused this decline of facilities and spirit. Yes, little support from anyone with vision. Living in the past? At what point do we learn from our mistakes and create the change that we need here. Most Libbey grads have memories of a proud heritage that goes far beyond successful sport teams.
This comment was posted on December 26th, 2010 at 7:29 amBottom line: Toledo has a valuable property on our hands and we treat it as if it were just another old building to demolish. A good faith effort must be accomplished by our city, county and state leaders. But each of us is capable of coming up with a possibility of something that might be the answer. In the spirit of this season there is the birth of hope and standing up for what is best for our community.
I am challenging every citizen for Big Positive Ideas. We are given this valuable property with both historical and future value and potential. This in not just about saving a school but making it a possible turnaround point in the city history and downward economic slide and defeated spirit. What if…Let’s not have regrets later for not trying our hardest. We are not at the end of the game yet. Let’s make up for those previous losses! Meeting Monday at the Canaan Community Outreach at 1333 Western Ave THIS Monday, January 3 at 6:30 pm.
This comment was posted on December 31st, 2010 at 9:46 am